This Crazy Thing Called Life
by LoveLizMcGills
Summary: Beck & Jade raise their new daughter while dealing with high school, acting, and their not-so-normal relationship. Not a typical teenage pregnancy story. Every review makes me smile.
1. Happy Parents, Happier Grandparents

**So lately I've been seeing a lot of Beck and Jade pregnancy stories. You know, the classic, she takes the test, sobs in Beck's arms, throws up a few times, gets kicked out of the house, has a beautiful baby and they live happily ever after. Don't get me wrong, some of those stories are really good and I love them, but I decided to add on to that and do something a little more unique that hasn't been done nearly as much as the classic pregnancy story. This idea actually came to me when I was home sick from school a few weeks ago, so after a lot of debate I finally decided to write it. **

**Sorry for rambling, I'll get to the point. This is pretty much a Beck and Jade baby story. Rather than focusing on the pregnancy, it will focus on their lives afterwards, raising their child. I know it sounds corny, but hopefully it will be somewhat realistic and maybe have some humor. So I really hope you like it and please review! Whether you give constructive criticism or praise, I don't care, I just want feedback! Thanks! **

_**Disclaimer: **_**I obviously don't own Victorious, because if I did, Liz would be singing in nearly every episode. **

_Happy Parents, Happier Grandparents-1 Day Old. _

**To: AndreH,ToriV,RobbieS,CatV**

**From: BeckO**

**Jade had her this morning. (after 10 long, long, **_**long**_** hours of labor.) Her name is Sophia Renee Oliver-West and she's absolutely perfect. Come visit any time but expect Jade to be grumpy. ;)**

"Beck Oliver! We've been parents for less than four hours and you're already leaving me to do all the work! Get off your phone and get over here!"

"I'm coming."

Beck walks over to his girlfriend, who is holding their newborn daughter. She's fast asleep, wrapped tightly in a blanket, and has a hat that's way too big for her hiding her eyes. When you _can_ see her face, however, she's beautiful. She has light brown hair, the same color as Jade's before she dyed it. Her eyes are blue, and her skin is pale. Jade, having given birth a few hours ago, is dressed in a hospital gown and has her hair up in a messy bun. Beck kisses Jade's forehead.

"You know, she was screaming bloody murder when they took her away to clean her up. And she hasn't made a peep since you've been holding her."

"She knows not to mess with me."

"No, she knows who you are. She_ loves _you."

"Shut up." She holds back a smile.

Beck sits down next to Jade just as nurse, dressed in overly cheery pink scrubs, walks over to the bed.

"Hi guys. How is everything going?"

"Fine," Jade replies coolly.

"Well, I just wanted to talk about a few things with you." She hands Beck a bottle filled with formula.

"I've prepared a bottle for her. You'll want to feed her every two to four hours."

"Even at _night_?"

"Yes, even at night."

"So I have to wake _up_?"

"Um, yes, you do."

"How often do you change her diaper?"

"Whenever she needs it. Here, why don't you feed her?"

The nurse motions to Beck, who hands Jade the bottle. Sophia immediately accepts the bottle and sucks on it greedily. Beck chuckles and the nurse, satisfied, leaves.

"You know what's weird, Beck?"

"Huh?"

"She doesn't really look like an alien."

"A what?"

"An alien. I always thought that most babies looked like a combo of aliens and old men when they were first born. But ours doesn't really. She's kind of cute." He just smiles as Jade hands him Sophia so he can finish feeding her. "Hi little girl," he coos to her. Jade tells him not to baby talk and he sighs.

"Ms. West, Mr. Oliver, you have visitors."

Jade is expecting to see a perky red head bouncing through the door, but instead it's Beck's parents. They'd been at the hospital since Jade's labor started, but after seeing Sophia they had left to get lunch. Mrs. Oliver, who had started insisting on Jade calling her Julia, ran up to Beck and kissed him on the cheek. "There's the proud dad! Oh, you're feeding her? I need to get a picture!"

Jade holds back an eye-roll as she pulls out her phone. When Julia and Beck's dad, Mike, found out about the pregnancy, they had the classic talk with the couple about how they were disappointed in them, but were still going to support their decision to keep the baby, blah-blah. And then suddenly, in the last few months of pregnancy, Julia got more involved and more excited. She would come back with three new outfits for the baby every day, most of which Jade would return because of their color. And now the woman was obsessed with taking pictures of the poor child, and wanted to hold her every minute she could.

Jade's parents, on the other hand, were a different story. Her father had flat out told her "Don't expect me to be a grandparent to this baby, and don't come crying to me when you can't afford to take care of it." Her mother hadn't been overly upset by the pregnancy, but devastated by Jade's decision to move in with Beck when she was born.

Jade was on good terms with her mother, Mae, now, but that didn't mean she always got along with her. She had stayed for about an hour after Sophia was born and then taken off to go to work. (That's pretty much all she ever does.)

Jade watches as Julia begs Beck to hand over Sophia. He does, but not without an audible sigh. Mike hands Beck a paper bag from Subway, because Jade specifically requested "real food" instead of "hospital garbage." She barely has time to murmur a thank you as she digs in.

"So, when did the doctor say you'll be going home?"

"The doctor says she's really healthy and I'm recovering well so far, so as long as it stays that way we can go home tomorrow night."

"Well, I know it will be a challenge for you, but I can always help you guys learn everything you need to know. Remember, I've had two children."

"Yeah, I know. Uh, can I have my baby back now?"

Beck shoots her a look but she ignores it, and Julia doesn't seem to mind handing the sleeping newborn back to Jade. Beck notices how Jade stares at Sophia in amazement, and how her mouth twitches into a small smile as Sophia yawns and stretches out her tiny fingers. She'll make a good mom. She may not be a normal one, but she'll be a good one. While he takes out his phone to snap a picture of Jade admiring their daughter, Cat and Tori come running into the room.

"Oh my gosh! She's here, she's actually here! This is so exciting!" Cat grabs Beck's arm and bounces up and down happily. Beck pats her back. "Do you wanna hold her?"

"Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!"

"Okay. But maybe you should sit down. You know, so you don't drop...I mean, so it would be more comfortable for you."

Jade smirks as Beck gently takes Sophia and hands her to Cat.

"She's adorable, you guys," Tori says, immediately starting to take pictures. "Andre and Robbie are gonna try and come later."

"No hurry," Jade mutters.

"Beck, honey, I think we're going to hit the road. You just call us if you need anything, okay? We'll be back tomorrow. Are you sleeping here tonight?"

"Yeah, if Jade wants me to. I'll see you later."

Of course she has to take another picture before leaving with Mike.

Shortly afterwards, Tori and Cat leave, and the nurses take Sophia for a quick check up. Beck is starting to drift off to sleep on the couch, and he thinks Jade is too, when she suddenly sits up.

"Beck!"

"What? What is it? Are you okay?"

"I...I'm still fat."

"You're what?"

"I'm not skinny."

"Jade, you don't lose all your weight when the baby comes."

"It's like I have a giant baby bump all over again!"

"Honey, if you just eat right and stuff, you'll be back to your skinny self eventually."

"Honey? Did you just call me _honey_?"

Even Beck isn't sure where that one came from.

"I guess I did."

"What, we have a baby and we're suddenly old?"

He has a feeling this is not going to be easy.

**That was the first day of little Sophia's life! I realize it was kind of short, but it was just a prologue. I wanted to see how you guys like this story before I continue. Please review! It makes me so happy to see review alerts in my inbox. Thank you for reading! **


	2. Emotions Running High

**Thanks everyone for the reviews. I got my own teenage parenting experience last weekend when I took home a Real Care electronic baby doll for one of my classes. I even called her Sophia! She was annoying at times but it wasn't **_**too**_** bad. On the bright side, it will help me write about what Beck and Jade are experiencing in the first week of parenting. I hope you like it! As always, Victorious isn't mine, and please review! **

**Note: For people that have suggested stories, I apologize if I have not done them. Sometimes I just don't have any real inspiration for a story, so I don't write it. You can all continue to suggest stories and one shots, but once again, no promises that I will write them! Also, if you are a user on the Victorious wiki, message me there! I'm BadeForever. :)**

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><p><em><span>Emotions Running High-2 Days Old.<span>_

The first argument Beck and Jade have over how to parent their child happens that night. Beck wants the baby to stay in the room with them, and Jade wants them to take her to the nursery so she can get some sleep and not be "interrupted by pathetic crying." After convincing Jade that she's already going to be interrupted by nurses checking on her, and telling her a story about a baby who was taken to the nursery and then given back to the wrong mother, Jade sides with him and Sophia ends up sleeping in her room.

It may not have been the smartest idea. She cries four times during the night, and by the time morning comes, Jade is more irritable than usual and Beck is incredibly sore from sleeping on a cheap pull out couch. But, they make the most of it, because after a quick check up for both Sophia and Jade, they'll be going home. Beck's parents bring the car seat that Beck let them pick out themselves, and thankfully, it's not pink. In fact, it's a light blue color with dark brown edges, and even Jade agrees that it's kind of cute. She dresses Sophia in a black onesie and red sweater. She flat out refuses to put her in the purple sun dress Julia bought for her.

"You know, she's going to have to wear that at least once or you'll never hear the end of it from my mother."

"Well, she's not wearing it when I'm around. How do you work this seat anyways?" Jade is trying to get the tiny baby into the huge car seat, and the buckle is a little too big. Beck helps her adjust it.

"Do you have everything?"

"Beck, I brought one bag with an outfit, a toothbrush, a pear pad, and a magazine. Why would I not have it all?"

Beck sighs and picks up her bag in one hand, the car seat in the other. He's tempted to tell his girlfriend to chill out, but he keeps his mouth shut as they walk to the car. He also wants to question why Sophia is bundled up so tightly in the middle of August, but once again, he doesn't. Of course, the nurse has to help them install the car seat and make sure it's working okay, which makes Jade mumble about "idiots that don't trust their parenting just because they're seventeen" almost the whole ride home.

When they get back, all they want to do is settle into the RV. Beck unlocks the door and hears his daughter yawn. He smiles and allows Jade to go in first. Their little home is just as they left it. There is a little baby bassinet with a fold out changing table and a jungle animal mobile sitting in the corner. Sitting by it is a blue and brown infant baby bouncer that Julia must have bought them to match the car seat. Beck sets the car seat down on the floor.

"Beck! What are you doing?"

"What? Is something wrong?" He does a quick inventory and it seems like everything is fine.

"You can't put the baby on the floor!"

"She's in her car seat!"

"She could be knocked over!"

"First of all, who would knock her over? And second, car seats are designed to be sturdy."

"Well, still..."

Beck kisses Jades cheek and she seems to calm down a little bit. They sit down on the couch and she rests her head on his shoulder, and for a minute it looks like she's going to fall asleep.

And then...the door opens. He lets out a loud sigh.

"Hi Beck! Once you guys get settled in, why don't you come over for dinner?"

"Alright, mom."

Jade groans but he ignores it.

"Do you want me to take the baby for a few minutes?"

"No thanks. We're fine."

Julia waves happily and walks out the door. Jade immediately turns to Beck and glares at him. "Why did you tell her we'd come?" He sighs, stands up, and throws on a clean flannel shirt and some "man jewelry," trying to look presentable for his parents. He throws Jade one of her black shirts and she reluctantly puts it on.

"I didn't think there was anything wrong with my sweatshirt. But obviously you think I look ugly unless I'm dressed nice."

He decides not to argue with her right now because he's sure that she knows very well how untrue that is. Without another word, Beck picks up the car seat, and walks out, and Jade follows him. When they get inside the large house, Mike is cooking something on the stove, and Julia is laying out an array of sides and appetizers. The fact that Beck's parents love to cook is probably the only thing about them that doesn't bother Jade.

Beck and Jade sit down at the spacious island in the kitchen and Julia brings them a plate of fresh fruit. She sets the car seat down on top of the island. Sophia is sleeping like a rock.

"So, how are you feeling, Jade?"

"Fine. I'm just tired. She's been pretty good so far though."

"That's good. It'll help to get her on a schedule. Try feeding her three hours apart and then hopefully she'll always sleep in between those times. It might take a couple of weeks, though. You're lucky you had her in summer. Beck can stay home and help you."

"Yeah, he'd better."

Beck smiles playfully at her and pops a strawberry in his mouth.

"So, what are your plans for school?" Mike suddenly asks from across the kitchen.

"What do you mean?" Jade shoots back.

"Well, your senior year starts in less than a month."

"I'll stay home with her until she's six weeks old, and then find a babysitter for her."

"And how do you plan to pay for that?"

"I don't know. Beck will get a job or something. But we still have a few weeks to think about that."

Jade takes her fork and angrily stabs at a piece of watermelon, obviously annoyed by Mike's questions. Julia looks around awkwardly for a moment and then speaks again. "Alright, I think we can eat now. Tonight we're having spaghetti with pesto tomatoes and grilled eggplant, with Caesar salad and rye bread on the side." Jade licks her lips in anticipation.

After Beck's parents say an annoyingly long prayer, Jade picks up her fork. She's about two seconds away from tasting the food when suddenly a loud noise comes from the car seat. Little Sophia's face is red; her mouth is wide open, and she starting to cry. Loudly. Jade sighs and puts down her fork, and rocks the car seat back and forth. She starts screaming louder.

"She's probably hungry. She hasn't eaten since before her check up at the hospital," Beck says in a matter of fact voice.

"Then make her a bottle and bring it to me!"

"Alright, no need to get snappy. Where is it?"

"The diaper bag."

"Oh. I think that's still in the RV."

Sophia wiggles her fingers and kicks her feet angrily, crying louder. Apparently she has Jade's temper.

"Why would you leave it in the RV? Go get it, you idiot!"

Beck throws up his hands in mock surrender and quickly leaves. Jade clenches her teeth and is tempted to cover her ears.

"Honey, why don't you pick her up and rock her? It'll calm her down until Beck makes the bottle."

Jade stares at Sophia for a moment, hesitating. What good will rocking her do? When Julia gives her an encouraging nod, however, she unbuckles Sophia and picks her up. She bites her lip in frustration as Sophia cries in her ear.

"Hush!"

"Honey, rock her back and forth and rub her back. Try to comfort her."

Jade rolls her eyes but manages to get the squirming newborn into a shoulder hold. She pats her back gently and talks to her softly, and gradually hey cries die down into faint whimpers. Jade smiles, satisfied, almost proud, that she got her baby to stop crying. She's never been a baby person, or a kid person, for that matter, and since day one of the pregnancy, she vowed to let Beck handle crying.

Jade smiles a little at Sophia and shift her into a cradle hold, just as Beck comes in with a freshly made, warmed up bottle.

"Do you want me to feed her?"

She quickly takes the bottle for him and tells him she's fine. This is their first time feeding her at home, and she's not going to let her boyfriend take the experience from her. She curses herself for sounding like a sentimental old mother.

Unfortunately, feeding Sophia quickly goes from fun to boring. After eating for about fifteen minutes, she stops and Jade has to burp her. Then she wants to finish the bottle, which takes another ten minutes, and Jade has to burp her again. All the while Beck is sitting there, enjoying his meal, barely paying attention to Jade and the baby. When Sophia spits up all over Jade, however, Beck is forced to refocus his attention.

"Uh, it would be nice if you could _help_ me!"

Beck looks at Jade for a moment before realizing what happens. He quickly jumps up, but has to stifle a laugh.

"Oh my gosh, this is disgusting!"

Julia, apparently the wisest mom in the world, runs to Jade's assistance and takes Sophia from her. "Oh, honey, why weren't you using a burp cloth?"

"A who?"

"You know, the cloth you put on your shoulder so the baby doesn't do...that." She rocks Sophia back and forth and the cleans off her mouth. "Poor little baby boo!" Jade can only scowl and order Beck to bring her a new shirt.

"It's only a tiny bit. We'll just dab it with some warm water and wash it later. Besides, your dinner's getting cold."

"Oh, it's getting cold? Wow, Beck, I wonder why that is? Maybe the fact that I couldn't eat for thirty minutes?"

"Alright, calm down! You didn't want me to help you feed her!"

"Well maybe when you saw how long it was taking you could have offered again!"

As if on cue, Sophia begins to cry again, and Julia bounces her up and down gently. "Please stop yelling, you're making Sophia cry."

Before anyone can say anything thing else, Jade grabs her plate of cold spaghetti and storms out of the house.

Fortunately, after the _incident _in the kitchen_, _Beck is able to collect himself quickly. He apologizes to his parents, thanks them for the wonderful dinner, and straps Sophia, who is much calmer now, into her car seat. He goes to the RV and finds Jade sitting on the couch with a blanket over her lap, poking at her meal but not really eating in. He sighs, takes Sophia out of her car seat, and puts her in the baby bassinet so she can sleep.

Jade barely looks up at him as he sits down next to her and pinches the bridge of his nose.

"Babe..."

"Can I just have some peace for ten minutes so I can eat?"

"Look, I'm sorry. I should have been helping you out. But we're both new at this, okay? You gotta cut me some slack."

"Beck, you can't understand how exhausted I am. Having a baby wears you out."

"I know, I know. I'm sorry. It's just stressful for me."

"And your parents are making it ten times worse!"

"Jade, they're helping us."

"We don't need their help."

"We will someday."

She shrugs and pushes her plate away. It looks like she hasn't even touched her food.

"Beck...I don't want to end up like those couples on TV. They think they're perfect and then they have a baby and start fighting all the time."

"Babe, that won't happen to us."

"How do you know?"

"Because, we were never perfect."

She calls him a jerk and punches him but smiles a little. They apologize again and decide it's best for everyone if they go to bed early. They crawl under the covers of their little bed and Jade buries her head in his chest. She knows that she'll be woken up soon by a crying baby, but for now, she doesn't care. Breathing in his scent, the thought crosses her mind that maybe they _are_ perfect.

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><p><strong>I don't know what happened there...haha, anyways, in your reviews, please tell me if you would rather have chapters this length or longer chapters. I can combine different days into one chapter, but they might be pretty long. I'm hesitant to make them too long because I feel like people will get bored and stop reading. So please share your opinion! Thank you! <strong>


	3. Meetings, Doctors and Cupcakes

**I've been getting a lot of alerts and favorites for this story, but l only got 3 reviews on the last chapter. It would mean so much if you reviewed even if it's constructive criticism.**

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><p><em><span>Sleepless Nights- 1 Week Old. <span>_

It had gotten to the point where Beck didn't even fall asleep anymore. He knew that as soon as he did, his daughter would start crying. Julia had told him to get her on a schedule. Feed her every three hours. That's what he and Jade had tried. They would feed her before they went to bed at eleven, then wake up at two, then again at five in the morning. Sophia, however, didn't seem to agree with that schedule. Sometimes she wanted to be fed after only and hour, sometimes she waited three or four hours.

And it wasn't just feeding. She was terrible at falling asleep. Beck would sit there and rock her back and forth and hum to her for an hour or more before she fell back asleep. By the time he got himself back to bed, she was crying again, because this time she needed a diaper change.

Jade said she would help, but she's too deep of a sleeper. If a war couldn't faze her, there was no way Sophia's crying could wake her up, as loud as it was. Sometimes Beck woke Jade up and asked her to take a turn, but he felt bad doing that. And she always used the excuse "I went through labor pains, so the least you can do is take care of her at night."

He was getting tired of it, and they'd only been home for six days.

. . .

Sophia's cries fill the RV for the third time that night. Jade rolls over and at first he thinks she is going to get up, but then he realizes her eyes are closed and she's still breathing deeply. Of course. With a sigh, he gets up, rubbing his eyes. Sophia is squirming around in the little baby bassinet. They had noticed quickly that the longer you took to take care of her, the louder she would cry. She had a temper.

Beck quickly picks her up and holds her against his chest. He kisses her head. "What's wrong, baby? I just fed you!" As if she understands him, she cries louder, and he takes the hint. Balancing her in the one arm, he grabs a bottle out of the mini fridge and warms it up in the little microwave on top of it. He pats her back.

"Shush, you're gonna wake mommy up. I can't believe you want to eat again, you little piglet." She makes a funny face at him and he smiles. When the bottle is finally ready, he sits down on the orange couch and she eats like they've been starving her or something. He turns on the TV and watches Phineas and Ferb, the only thing on, until she's done.

"I need to burp you. Where did mommy put your bib?"

If Jade was awake, she'd yell at him for talking to her like he expected to get an answer from her. Still holding her, he starts shuffling around in drawers. Sophia's clothes were taking up tons of room. Actually, Jade had just moved in last month, so he had tripled the number of clothes he usually had in his RV.

He finally finds a bib and puts it on her, then sits her on his lap, supporting her head with one hand. She makes little noises as he pats her back. "Sophia, be quiet! They're about to find out that Perry is a secret agent!" He realizes what he is saying and quickly turns the TV off. It's a good thing Jade is asleep and didn't hear that. He'd be made fun of for the rest of his life.

When she finally burps he kisses her and puts her back in her bassinet. He holds his breath, just waiting for her to cry. She doesn't like being put down to go to sleep. She usually wants to be rocked to sleep, but for some strange reason, she's giving him a break tonight. She yawns, stretches out, and closes her eyes. Beck smiles. Maybe he can go to sleep now.

...

"Beck! Get up!"

"Huh? What time is it?"

"Noon."

"What? But I fed Sophia at four in the morning and went back to bed a few minutes ago!"

"No, baby. You've been asleep for seven hours. We're both already dressed."

Hmm. And she didn't wake him up. Maybe motherhood is changing her. He nearly laughs at the thought.

_Getting Guidance- 3 Weeks Old._

"Come on Jade, we're gonna be late."

"Give me five more minutes. Please?"

"We're supposed to meet with Lane at ten o'clock. It's already nine thirty and you're not even out of bed. Come on."

"Beck, give me five minutes! I was up all night with Sophia."

"Okay, you got up _once_ with her for like a half and hour. _I_ was up the rest of the time."

"Whatever. I'm tired."

"Don't make me do it Jade..."

"You better not!"

"Oh, I will."

Jade pouts at him and pulls the covers over her head.

"Three. Two. One."

Before she can move, Beck grabs her feet and starts tickling them. She screams and tries to hit him.

"Stop it! Okay, okay, I'll get up!"

Beck grins. "You know you enjoyed that, Jade. Now I'm gonna jump in the shower. I already fed Sophia so get her dressed, please. I think she should wear the daddy shirt today."

"I'm not doing that when you boss me around."

"I'll tickle your feet again."

"I'm not doing it when you threaten me either," she replies, even though she backs away a little as she says it.

"Alright, fine. Please do it Jade, and I'll drive all the way to the new Jet Brew to get you that special coffee you like."

"They kind they only sell in Northridge?"

"Yeah...if you get ready fast."

"Okay, fine."

"Good girl." He kisses her cheek and goes to his parents' house to shower. That's what Jade despises about living here. Every time she needs to take a shower or eat something other than microwavable meals, she has to go inside his parents' house. At least they have a little powder room in the RV so she can pee in there.

"Sorry I have to wake you up, kid."

She takes the sleeping baby out of the little blue infant bouncer and lays her on her little changing mat. Since they can't fit a real changing table in the tiny RV, they had to buy a baby bassinet with a fold up changing table attached to it. The way Sophia's eating, however, she's going to grow out of it any day now.

Jade puts her in the outfit Beck specifically requested, black pants and white shirt that says "Daddy's Little Girl." (Of course, his mother was the one who bought that. And did she get a cute "I love Mommy" shirt for Sophia? No.) She puts a little red head band on her, leans down, and kisses her cheek.

Jade puts Sophia back in the bouncer seat and gets dressed. Believe it or not, this is the first time she's leaving the RV in three weeks. Other than Cat, Tori, Andre, and Robbie visiting occasionally, her and Beck haven't really had much of a social life. It feels nice to put some real make up and jewelry on.

Beck comes in with wet hair, a hair dryer, and about three bottles of assorted hair gels and sprays.

"Alright, you're yelling at me to get ready and now you think you're gonna take a half and hour in the bathroom to do your hair? No. Put a hat on."

"Jade!"

"Beck, do you wanna be late? This meeting is important!"

"Fine." He slides on a gray beanie, picks up Sophia, and blows raspberries into her tummy. She coos and he smiles, putting her in her car seat.

"Ready babe?"

"As ready as I'll ever be.

**. . . **

The couple scheduled a meeting with Lane to discuss their "future." Ultimately, Julia and Mike were the ones who pressured them to do it. Secretly though, Jade is relieved to be going. She needs to know what she's going to do about school. Hollywood Arts is quiet except for a few secretaries organizing the office and making last minute changes to schedules. Beck swings the car seat back and forth gently as he goes up to one of the secretaries. She seems startled by the fact that Beck is carrying a car seat with a tiny baby inside.

"Hi, do you know if Lane is in his office? We have an appointment with him."

"Yes, he should still be there, go right ahead."

Beck nods and when they walk away they hear the secretary mutter "Such a shame. They're so young." Beck cringes and he sees Jade flinch at her words, but thankfully she doesn't comment. Lane is sitting at his desk, a large bottle of lotion beside him, just like always.

"Hey Lane, sorry we're a little late."

"That's okay. Oh my gosh, you brought your baby?"

"Yeah, wanna see her?"

Lane happily jumps up and looks in the car seat. Sophia looks up at him with wide eyes. "Aw, she's adorable!" Unfortunately, Sophia doesn't seem to like Lane, because her lip quivers and she starts to cry. Beck quickly picks her up and calms her down.

"Why don't you have a seat?"

They plop down on the couch.

"Alright, let's get started. School opens in less than three weeks. Are you coming back right away?"

"No, I'm going to stay home with Sophia until she's at least two months old. So I'll miss two or three weeks of school."

"Well, that's not too bad. According to your transcript, you need five more credits to graduate. Science, math, English, history, and one elective. That leaves two extra periods in the day, so you can either choose more electives, or have free periods."

Jade nods. "I was going to take R & B vocals and film directing, but now I think it would be easier to have free periods instead."

"I think it would be best if you would try to take some electives. If it's too hard to handle, you can always drop the classes."

"I guess."

"And another thing we have to talk about...neither of you have applied for any colleges yet. Are you planning on it?"

Both of them just look at each other and shrug. Beck puts Sophia back in her car seat.

"I don't see the point," Jade says. "We both wanna be actors. You don't get an acting job just by having a degree. You get them by knowing the right people and having the right look."

"You have a point, but if acting falls through for you, it would be good to have a backup plan. Have you ever considered going to college for business or something else?"

"We don't have that kind of money. We can barely afford diapers, let alone college tuition."

"If you work hard, you can always try for a scholarship."

"I'm not counting on it. It's gonna be hard enough to keep my grades up with a newborn."

"Well, at least think about it. I'd hate to see you guys not go to college just because you're parents. There's always online school."

"Which is also expensive," Beck reminds him.

"Whatever, let's just talk about this year," Jade says."

"Alright. So, do you want to keep your schedule the way it is?"

"I think so."

"Good. Now, you and Beck have the same classes, right?"

"Mostly."

"Can we send your missed work home with him?"

"Yeah, I guess that would work."

Jade yawns and Beck is reminded that he needs to go get her special coffee.

"What about other classes? How am I supposed to make up work for Sikowitz? It's not like I can do written work for that class."

"You might have to stay after school with him when you come back. We'll figure something out. Oh, Beck, you mentioned something about getting a job. Do you need me to fill out working papers for you?"

"No, I got them last year. I already applied for a few jobs."

"Fantastic. Now, if you don't have anymore questions for me, I'm going to go. There's a big sale at Bed Bath and Yonder and I'm hoping to get some new lotion."

_Vaccinations & Celebrations- 1 Month Old._

"Are you gonna go to the doctor? Are you gonna get a check up, big girl?" Sophia kicks her legs and smiles up at Beck. "Oh, you look so cute. Momma's gonna hate this outfit, but Daddy thinks you look cute."

Jade steps out of the bathroom, her hair wrapped around a curling iron. "Beck, would you stop babbling? And don't talk to her in the third person. Say '_I _think you look cute, not _Daddy_ thinks you look cute.' We want her to be smart!"

"Yes, ma'am."

Then Jade sees what Sophia is wearing. It's a little sundress with pastel colored stripes, light blue, light pink, and yellow.

"You're kidding, right? Do you want to ruin her self esteem forever?"

"Jade, she's just a baby. We're just going for her one month check up. Relax and go finish your hair."

She rolls her eyes. "Fine, but only just this once."

In reality, Jade doesn't want Sophia to dress in black. She doesn't even care if she wears pink. She's more worried that if people see her carrying around a baby in a fluffy pink dress, they'll think she's been softened up.

When they get to the doctor, they hear some older parents in the waiting room mumbling to each other. One older woman tells her "Cute baby," but the others generally avoid them. It's obvious by their young age, and Jade's colored streaks and piercings, that they're not normal parents.

"Sophia Oliver?"

They are led into a little office where the doctor takes Sophia out of her car seat and weighs her and measures her. Sophia squirms, obviously cold and uncomfortable on the metal scale.

"Well, I'm very pleased with her growth. Does she eat a lot?"

"'A lot' is an understatement."

The doctor smiles and gets out a stethoscope. After checking her heart, ears and eyes, the doctor hands her back to Jade.

"Well, I think she looks like a very healthy baby. How have you been adjusting to parenthood?"

Beck cringes. He knew the doctor was going to ask them some questions, but he wasn't looking forward to it. Jade immediately gets defensive whenever someone asks how they're doing. She doesn't think of it as them trying to help.

"Fine."

"What are your school plans?"

"I'll stay home with her until she's two months old, and then find a babysitter or daycare for her."

"And how are doing supporting her financially?"

"My parents are helping out right now, and I've already applied to a few jobs. I'm just waiting to hear back," Beck replies.

"That's good. Well, according to my records, she didn't receive her hepatitis B vaccination at the hospital, so I'm going to have the nurse do that now."

The nurse comes in and sets Sophia on the table, and Sophia starts to cry before the needle even goes into her arm. Beck bites his lip. "Its okay, Sophia babe."

"Come on Sophia, man up."

The doctor smiles at Jade. "It's nice to see a mom who's not freaking out over her child getting a shot. Most first timers are so protective."

Jade raises an eyebrow. "It's not that I'm not protective of her. I just don't think she should be spoiled and cuddled every single time she cries. She's gotta be tough enough to survive in this world."

The doctor nods, but her smile is gone. "I see. Jade, do you find yourself getting frustrated when she cries?"

"Sometimes."

"Are you usually able to calm her down quickly? And calm yourself down?"

The nurse hands Sophia, whose cries have died down, to Beck. He kisses her. "See, it wasn't so bad."

But Jade is focused on the doctor right now. She stiffens. "What are you implying? That I would shake her to death or something?"

"No, I'm not saying that, but..."

"Just because I'm young and I'm not always super lovey-dovey with my daughter, you seem to think I'm going to become and abusive parent!"

"It's not that, Jade. It's my job as a doctor to make sure Sophia is getting the best care possible, and..."

"No, I don't think that_ is_ your job! Your job is to make sure she's healthy, not to butt in _our_ personal lives!"

By now Beck has Sophia in her car seat and he's got a hand placed firmly on Jade's shoulder. He mumbles her name in a low warning tone.

"Look, Jade, I'm sorry if I offended you, but how can I make sure your daughter is healthy if she doesn't get good care at home?"

"Excuse me? Now you're saying she doesn't get good care at home?"

Surprisingly, the doctor stands her ground. "No, I wasn't saying that. I'm just saying that part of my job is to ensure that Sophia is cared for and that she..."

"Well then, _Doctor_, if health and good care is so important to you, how come you're so overweight?"

Beck feels like someone just punched him in the stomach. He squeezes Jade's shoulder, hard.

"I apologize...she's just feeling a little stressed out right now..."

"Let go of me, Beck!"

"Jade, let's go home."

"Whatever. We're finding a new doctor for our daughter."

After Beck issues one more sincere apology to the doctor, puts a blanket over Sophia's car seat, and directs his angry girlfriend to the car, he lets loose. Pulling out of the parking lot, he shakes his head.

"You are unbelievable. I can't believe you would embarrass me like that."

"Whatever."

"Is that all you have to say for yourself? Whatever?"

"It's not my fault that doctor was criticizing me. I had to stand up for myself!"

"Jade, you can stand up for yourself without yelling and making fun of the doctor's weight!"

"Whatev- I mean, I don't care."

"You know what's going to happen when we get home?"

Jade is silent.

"You're going to get on your laptop and email an apology to that doctor. And I'm going to read it before you send it."

"You're not the boss of me," Jade replies, her voice quiet. But she knows he's going to win. She did something stupid, he's angry, and he's going to make sure it doesn't happen again. Just like always, she'll let him control her because she knows she needs someone to control her every once and a while. Beck seems to be the only one in her life who isn't afraid to put her in her place, and sometimes she needs that.

They're silent for the rest of the ride. Beck opens the door of the RV for Jade and she suddenly jumps back, startled and grabs his arm.

"Surprise!"

Loud voices fill the RV. They peek inside, Jade still holding onto Beck. Sitting around on the couch and the bed is Tori, Andre, Cat, and Robbie. There's a few red and white balloons tied to one of the tables, and a plate of cupcakes sitting by it.

"Happy one month birthday, Sophia!"

Tori stands up with a bright smile. Normally Jade would roll her eyes at this, but having them here actually lightened the mood a little. Beck smiles and gets the sleeping baby out. She opens her eyes and yawns.

"I'm sorry darling, but your friends are here to see you!"

Tori immediately takes her. "I missed you, sweetie!"

Cat bounces up to the couple, holding the plate of cupcakes. "We made you guys cupcakes!"

Jade inspects them. They have chocolate frosting, and there is one yellow letter on each of them. They're arranged to spell

"H A P P Y B I R T H D A Y S O P H I A !"

Jade can't help smiling. She picks up one of them and unwraps it. "Here, Beck, want one?" Before he can reply, she smashes against his nose. He doesn't look too amused. "That was very funny Jade." At first she thinks he might be mad at her, but instead, he grabs her arm and pushes the cupcake she's holding in her face.

Tori puts a dab of frosting on Sophia's nose and forces Jade to hold her while she takes lots of pictures of the chocolate covered trio.

"This is definitely going online."

* * *

><p><strong>My apologies if the ending was crappy. Please pretty pretty please review! Thank ya! <strong>


	4. Lifeguard Beck

**Thank you all for the reviews! I imagine everyone has seen or heard about the tragic thing that took place in The Worst Couple. Don't lost hope though, Dan has seen how upset we were and has already said about 4 times on twitter that they will be getting back together...eventually. Of course, regardless of the break up, this story will continue. I still love Beck and Jade. I'd love for you to send me any suggestions you have for this story or any other stories in your reviews. Private messages are welcome too. Anyways, here we go. Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

><p><em><span>Lifeguard Beck- 5 Weeks Old<span>_

When entering Mike and Julia's house to make yourself a meal, there are two things that could happen. Jade quickly discovers that one of those things is positive, one is negative. Unfortunately, Julia is a talker. So if Jade ever comes in to cook something simple, maybe a frozen pizza in the oven or some pasta, you can pretty much guarantee that Julia will be sitting in the kitchen, talking Jade's ear off, the whole time. "How's Sophia? How did she sleep last night? Did Beck find a job yet?" And she goes on and on and on. This is the situation Jade tries to avoid. However, occasionally, when Jade comes in to get dinner, Julia is already busy making something that smells positively delicious. In which case, Julia will immediately offer some of the fancy dinner, Jade will immediately accept, and the young mom will walk out with two large plates full of food. If Beck is a good boy, then she lets him eat one of them.

By some miracle, tonight is one of those nights. It's seven thirty, Sophia is in bed, and the couple is exhausted. Beck practically has to beg Jade to go grab some dinner, promising her that his parents will have some leftovers in the fridge. She complies with a sigh and a few swear words. Thankfully, she finds Mike and Julia eating at the kitchen island.

"Oh, honey, have you eaten yet?"

Jade eyes the steak on the table. "No...I was just going to see if you had anything for Beck and I...I mean, leftovers or something."

"Oh, don't be silly. We've got plenty of extra steak right here. Help yourself."

She smiles and piles each plate high with green beans, mashed potatoes, fresh biscuits, and everything else on the table. Without another word to Mike and Julia, she's out the door and back at the RV, kicking the door.

"Open up, I've got food in my hands! Beck, open the door!"

"Just a second."

"Hurry before I drop this steak!"

She's expecting the word "steak" to make him hurry up, but the door doesn't budge.

"Hurry up! Idiot, get off your lazy-"

The door swings open. Beck shoots her an angry look and grabs one of the plates from her. "Jade, I was on the phone!"

"So? You can walk and talk on the phone at the same time!"

"Be quiet or you'll wake up Sophia."

He seems to calm down a little as they both sit down on the couch with their dinners.

"I couldn't open the door because I was writing down information. That was the manager of the public pool down the street. I got a job!"

Jade stops and smiles, actually _smiles_, a genuine smile. Finally, they'll be able to stop borrowing money from his parents and start being independent. Beck kisses her forehead. "I just have to go through a week of training with the Red Cross, and then..."

"Training? With the Red Cross? Why?"

"Lifeguard training," he replies as if it was obvious.

"Wait..._that's_ your new job? You're going to be a _lifeguard_?"

He gives her a look, wondering if he missed something.

"So, out of all the jobs available to an eighteen year old boy in high school, you chose one where you get to sit there and stare at girls in bikinis?"

"Look, it wasn't my first choice. But not a lot of places are hiring right now. It was either that, McDonald's, or an exotic reptile store."

"I'd rather have you come home smelling like lizard poop than come home from watching skinny girls in itsy-bitsy bathing suits!"

"It's not what you think, Jade. It's not a beach or anything. It's public pool that also teaches swimming lessons and..."

"I don't care! I can guarantee that if you take that job, half of the girls at the pool with fake drowning to get mouth to mouth from you!"

"No, they won't. It'll be fine. This job is going to make me ten dollars an hour. If I work fifteen hours a week, I'll make over six hundred dollars a month."

"That's still not enough," she mumbles. She plops down on the couch and Beck joins her, slinging an arm around her. "We'll work it out, babe."

"No, because you're not being a lifeguard."

"We'll get to use the pool for half price!" He says in a promising voice, poking her in the ribs.

"Oh joy. So each time I want to go swimming, I just pay three dollars, and then I have the amazing experience of jumping into a pool filled with snot, toe fungus, and urine?"

"No, because one of my jobs will be to clean the pool and make sure the filter is working right, love."

"No, because you're _not_ being a lifeguard," she repeats in a stubborn tone.

"Look, Jade, this is our only option. It's either you trust me a little and let me take this job, or we rely on my parents for all our money and are still paying off what we owe them when we're in our fifties."

She stabs her steak angrily and chews a piece loudly, just to annoy Beck.

"Beck? Lately I've been having dreams in which I kill the man who invented money."

"I don't think one person invented money."

"Someone had to. And I'd like to kill him."

"He's already dead."

"I guess."

"How about this. I'll just be a lifeguard for a little while. I won't even go near any girls unless they're drowning. And then we'll become famous actors and live in a palace."

"With an electric fence around it?"

"Sure."

"Fine. But only because we need the money. And if anyone needs mouth to mouth, get someone else to do it."

"Deal."

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><p><strong>I know this chapter is short and it's mostly just a filler, and I know the ending is terrible, but I wanted to post it today since you've been waiting for another one for a while. New chapters should be coming soon since I'll be on winter break the week after next. Suggestions? Comments? Criticism? Please review! <strong>


	5. Date Night, Back to School Blues

**As promised, I got this chapter up fairly quickly. I'm not sure if it's my favorite. It's a little on the longer side, but I would love for you to read and review it. Thank you so much, I wrote another author's note at the bottom.**

_Date Night- 6 Weeks Old_

"Ugh. Disgusting! Beck, look at this email I got."

The eighteen year old takes a sip of coke and peeks at Jade's laptop.

"Read it out loud."

He sighs, but does as he's told.

"This email is a reminder to all students that our back to school kickoff party will be held next Friday. Also, auditions for the first senior musical of the year will be on September 25th. It will be a fun one so make sure to audition! We can't wait to see you all back at school on Monday. Enjoy the last few days of your summer vacation!

Sincerely,

The Staff at Hollywood Arts."

He pauses and looks around. Jade raises her eyebrows but Beck doesn't seem to get it. "So?"

"So what? So la ti do?"

"So, why does that upset you?"

"Because they know I won't be there for the kickoff party, or for auditions for the senior musical. So why did they send me that?"

"They automatically send it to all the students that are on their mailing list."

"Well, why couldn't they take my name off?"

"Babe, you're not quitting school. You're just going to be out for a couple of weeks. That's all."

"Whatever. I still don't need to get stupid emails from the stupid staff."

"What's the big deal? Are you upset you're not going back right away?"

"No...I just...I don't know."

He closes her laptop and moves it, and then taps her nose. "Lucky for you, I have something that will cheer you up."

"Don't. Touch. My. Nose!"

"Fine, Miss crabby. But don't ya wanna know what it is?"

"What what is?"

"The thing that will cheer you up."

"Not really."

"Okay then, I'll tell you. Tonight, since it's our last Saturday before school starts, you and I are going on a date."

"Where?"

"I'm not telling." He picks up Sophia and kisses her little forehead. "Sophia, you think mama and daddy should go on a date, don't you?"

"Beck, I keep telling you not to talk to her in the third person! You'll simplify her vocabulary! Say 'Mama and I' not Mama and Daddy!"

"Jade, she can't even support her head by herself. I don't think she'll be affected by improper grammar."

"Whatever. It's not good to get in that habit. And anyway, I'm not sure if going out is a good idea. Shortly after birth, your immune system is not very strong. And there are lots of germs in public places."

"When did you become a health nut? And besides, that's just a myth. The doctor never said anything about your immune system being weakened from having a baby."

"Not me, you idiot! Sophia! Babies get sick easily!"

Beck looks from the baby in his arms to his girlfriend, his facial expression a mixture of confusion and amusement.

"Jade...you really think we would take Sophia on our _date_?"

"Well...yeah."

"You don't take your kid on a date! This is just for us!"

She raises her eyebrows. "Really?"

"Really."

"Oh."

"Yeah. So be ready by seven."

"What about Sophia?"

"My parents are watching her."

"What? Beck, if your mother babysits Sophia for an evening, she'll try to adopt her!"

All he can do is laugh and tell her to hurry up and put on something nice.

/-/-/-/

After Jade gives Julia directions on taking care of Sophia, and makes it clear that she will not be allowed to _keep_ her, the couple gets in Beck's car. Jade is wearing a pair of ripped skinny jeans, her combat boots, a black off shoulder top, and an assortment of necklaces and rings. Beck thinks she's never looked more perfect, despite her constant complaining about her stomach, which still isn't quite as skinny as it used to be. He doesn't care.

"Can you please tell me where we're going now?"

"We'll be there in ten minutes."

She mumbles some of her favorite insults about him for the rest of the car ride.

"Close your eyes," he orders a few minutes later.

"Why?"

"Because we're pulling into the place and it's a surprise. Close 'em."

"How do I know I can trust you? Maybe I'll close my eyes and you'll drive us into a lake and crawl out and lock the doors as the car sinks and leave me there to die and..."

But he's already covering her eyes with his hand. When she finally manages to push it away and get a good look out the window, he's already parking the car. A quick survey of her surroundings reveals bright lights, cheery music, amusement park rides, and little shops giving off a strong smell of fried food. He took her to the boardwalk. Great.

"You're kidding me, right? It's the last Friday night before school starts. This place is gonna be crowded and you know how I feel about people!"

"Relax. This will be fun. A distraction from parenthood."

"So you're saying you don't like being a parent?"

"I'm saying we need a break from being parents. Even if it's just for a few hours."

He gets out of the car and grabs Jade hand, literally pulling her out of the car. After a minute of being dragged by him, she finally decides to cooperate, because maybe this could be fun. _Maybe_. But she won't let _him_ know that.

"Wanna eat first or ride rides?"

"Well, if I eat and then ride rides I might puke. But if I don't eat soon I might pass out. As you can see, this is a lose-lose situation."

"Okay, then we won't do either. We'll play a game."

"No. I want to eat."

"You could have just said that."

He orders her a cherry slushy and a greasy piece of pizza and even though Jade loves it, she accuses him of trying to make her even fatter. After they finish eating Beck drags her over to the rides, where she insists on trying the bumper cars.

"I don't think it's a good idea."

"That's the ride I want to ride! Now give the guy the stupid money and let's get on!"

"Fine. But we need to go over some rules first. No scaring little kids and bumping them over and over again."

"That's the whole point of the bumper cars."

"I just don't want you to get too rough."

"Whatever."

Apparently, "whatever" is code for "your-an-idiot-douche-bag-if-you-think-I-will-obey-you," because Jade doesn't exactly behave on the bumper cars. There's one little boy who she particularly enjoys picking on. Maybe it's his dorky glasses or his Thomas the Train t-shirt, but Jade seems to love causing him terror.

She bumps into him at first and the young boy barely reacts, but Beck does notice him driving away from Jade. Unfortunately, Jade is very good at sensing fear, so she goes after him again. When the young boy is near the corner of the driving ring, Jade steps on the little gas pedal and slams him up against the wall. As if that's not enough, she backs up and does it again.

"Hey, please move out of the way so I can drive," the kid says in a small voice.

She honks her horn at him. "Why don't you move, kid?" She slams into him a few more times and he starts to cry.

Before Beck can stop Jade's crazy attack on the child, a whistle blows and all the cars shut down. A man's voice comes over the loud speaker and Beck cringes.

"Unnecessary violent bumping! Young lady in the black shirt, we're going to have to ask you to exit the ride."

Jade doesn't seemed phased. She just gets out of her little car, sticks her tongue out at the terrified young boy, and orders Beck to come follow her. The boy's mother gives Jade a thorough lecture when she leaves the ride. Jade stands there and listens as the woman, probably in her thirties, rambles on, but when she turns to walk away, she can't resist mumbling, "It's ridiculous how paranoid people get. It's just freaking bumper cars."

The woman, who obviously heard, wheels around. "If you were a mother, you'd understand."

"Actually, I am a mother."

"You're kidding."

"No, I'm not."

"Well, you're obviously not a very good mom if you can't even be mature enough to ride a ride without making a child cry just because you want to have some fun."

"You know what, lady?"

Beck grabs her shoulders and leads her away before she can say anything more. "It's not worth it, Jade."

/-/-/-/

They don't talk about what the lady said for the rest of the night, and surprisingly, Beck doesn't scold Jade for the way she acted on the bumper cars. In fact, he buys her cotton candy and takes her on the Ferris wheel. When it stops at the top, he has to sneak in a kiss.

After he wins her a giant stuffed animal lizard by playing balloon darts, he realizes that it's already almost midnight and they told his parents they'd be back to eleven. He checks his phone, which has been on silent, and discovers he has 3 missed calls and 6 texts from his mother.

From:Mom

Sent at:11:12pm

Hey Beck, are you almost home? Just wondering. Sophia is sleeping.

From:Mom

Sent at:11:25pm

Sophia is fine...no rush...but are you coming home soon? Are you OK?

From:Mom

Sent at:11:34pm

Are you getting these messages, Beck? Please reply.

From:Mom

Sent at:11:41pm

I'm starting to get worried now...

From:Mom

Sent at:11:52pm

Are you guys alright? Please call me or text me back...

From:Mom

Sent at:11:58pm

Is your phone off? I tried calling you…its really late and I'm just wondering if you are okay?

Great. It's their first night going out and now his parents will probably think they're irresponsible and will never offer to babysit again. He sends his mom a quick text to let them know they're okay, and leads a tired Jade to the parking lot. Seeing the clock in the car, her eyes widen.

"Oh my gosh. We're an hour late. Your parents are going to...I don't know but they might...call child protective services and try to adopt her."

"Will you relax? My parents are not trying to take Sophia from us."

"Maybe not your dad, but you mother is! I bet if she could proof that we are unfit parents, she'd do it in a heartbeat!"

"Hush. Hug your lizard."

"His name is Armando."

"I never thought I'd live to see the day when Jade West named a stuffed animal."

"Whatever. I like him. I think he'd look better with one eye though."

"Oh gosh. Please don't poke out his eye."

"I might. I might not. I haven't decided yet."

Beck chuckles and a few minutes later they pull into the driveway. 12:11pm. He prays that his dad is already in bed, because if he isn't, then he'll lecture him about being on time and how "you-have-a-huge-responsibility-now" and blah blah.

Thankfully, he is. Either that, or he's in his office working. Sophia is dressed in pink footie pajamas and is sleeping peacefully in her infant bouncer seat.

"There you are! I was so worried!" Julia kisses Beck on the cheek and wraps Jade in a hug.

"I'm really sorry, mom. We totally lost track of time and I had my phone on silent for the rides and everything. It won't happen again."

"Don't be silly, it's fine. Just call me next time, okay? I just fed Sophia and changed her diaper, and she's sleeping like an angel. If you guys don't want to wake her up, I could just keep her here tonight."

"We wouldn't ask you to do that."

Jade raises an eyebrow at him, as if saying _I told you so_. He just winks at her and gently lifts his tiny daughter into the car seat. He kisses her head and she yawns and stretches but doesn't wake up.

"Thanks, mom."

"Any time."

The young father nudges Jade and she mumbles a quick thank you before following him out to the door into their humble little home. Once Sophia is snuggled up in the bassinet, the couple climbs into bed. Unfortunately for Beck, Jade seems more interested in snuggling with Armando then him.

He gets revenge by taking a picture of her and the stuffed lizard when she falls asleep.

/-/-/-/

_Back to School Blues- 6 Weeks Old_

Monday. 5:30am. The alarm blares. Jade actually wakes up. She throws her leg over Beck as he turns off the alarm. He nuzzles her neck.

"You need to shave," she mumbles lazily. He nods and kisses her cheek. She wraps her arms around him. Lucky her, he's not wearing a shirt right now.

"Baby..."

She shushes him and buries her head in his chest, closing her eyes.

"You know I need to get up."

She groans.

"I wanna stay here with you but I have to get ready."

"Nooo, no you don't."

"Jade, please move." He rubs her back as he says it. Yeah, he's making it real easy for her to move.

"Are you gonna do this every morning Jade? Because it's so cruel."

"Maybe."

Finally, he just grabs her arms and gently pushes her off of him. He gets up, pulls the covers back over her, and kisses her forehead. "I'll be back to say goodbye in a little while." She groans and tries to slam her eyes shut, but it won't work. Stupid Armando the lizard is all she has to cuddle with now.

Twenty minutes later, he comes back in dressed, shaved, and with wet hair. Great. Now she'll be listening to the hair dryer for fifteen minutes.

That's done at 6:22. She hears him get Sophia up and change her diaper. Jade opens one eye to peek at them and he's already kissing her and putting her back to bed.

"Wait!" She suddenly says, sitting up.

"What?"

"Bring her to me."

He does as he's told and Jade lays Sophia on her chest, rubbing her back gently. The baby stretches and snuggles up to Jade. Beck holds back a smile as he kisses his girlfriend and daughter goodbye. "Text me if you need anything."

"Kay. Do you have work tonight?"

He hesitates before admitting that he does. "I would totally take the day off since it's your first day alone, but since I just started the job I don't want to make a bad impression and.."

"I get it. It's okay."

"Love you, Jade."

"Love you too. I guess."

/-/-/-/

Jade snuggles with her daughter for about an hour before forcing herself to get out of bed. Julia swings by while Jade is still in her pajamas, no more than sweat pants and a cami, to let her know that she's going to run some errands, and Jade is welcome to the house and any food inside of it.

"Don't mind if I do," she mumbles to herself after Julia leaves. "Come on, Soph. We're getting some breakfast."

She lays Sophia in her bouncer seat in the kitchen so she can get breakfast started. It takes about a half an hour to make herself banana pancakes because she spills the batter and has to start all over again. Then Sophia needs to be fed. By the time Jade gives her a bottle and cleans up the kitchen, her pancakes are cold.

The rest of the day is uneventful. Jade's mother, Mae, drops in for a visit, but only stays for a few minutes because she "has to go to work." After that, the most exciting thing Jade does is spend an hour rocking Sophia before she finally falls asleep. Beck calls her at 3, on his way to work. They only talk for a few minutes because he has to go change and sit on his dumb lifeguard chair.

When he finally gets home, it's almost six thirty. He doesn't see Jade in the RV, so he goes into his parents' house. She's just coming out of the bathroom, holding Sophia, who is wrapped in a yellow towel. Her wet hair is slicked up in a short little mohawk. Her bright blue eyes are wide with fascination and there's a pacifier in her mouth.

Jade quickly hands Sophia to him. "Take this child." He kisses his daughter and bounces her up and down gently, then leans in to kiss Jade. "How was it?"

"It was...fine. How was school?"

"Same old Hollywood Arts. I picked up a pizza on the way home. It's on the kitchen counter. We have the house to ourselves?"

"Hell yeah. Your dad's at work and your mom's having dinner with her girlfriends."

"Sweet. I'll go get Sophia dressed. You can start eating."

She gives him a grateful smile and helps herself to the pizza. When Beck comes back in, Sophia is dressed in her pajamas. Her dumb pink pajamas. Beck obviously missed being away from his baby all day, because he is content to eat while holding her in one arm.

"Did a lot of people ask about me?"

"Yeah. Most of them knew where you were though."

"Was anyone disgusted or freaked out?"

"No. Not that I know of."

"Well, obviously they wouldn't say it to your face."

He shrugs and playfully sticks his tongue out at Sophia. She coos at him. Jade sighs and runs her hand through her hair, which hasn't been brushed all day.

"Beck...am I a bad mother because I can't wait to go back to school? I know I'm supposed to have some sort of maternal bond where I don't want to leave Sophia for even two seconds, but...staying at home is boring."

"I don't think you're a bad mom."

"I mean...I do love her, but I don't like taking care of her twenty four seven and never having time for myself."

"I know. Only a few more weeks though, right? As soon as we find a babysitter."

"I guess."

"I'll clean up the kitchen. You can go to bed."

"Thanks."

"No problem."

"Beck?"

"Yeah?"

"You're a good dad."

**I know this is the 5th chapter and all, but I'm still not sure about this story. Is that weird? I feel like I have some really good ideas and plans for this story but when I'm writing it I feel like it's not that great. I'm not sure if it's just because it's different then what I'm used to writing or what. Is it too long, too rushed? Please give me some feedback. **

**I realize this was kind of boring, but don't worry! The next chapter will be dramatic. **

**Also, I realized I got in a bad habit of not replying to reviews. I'm sorry for that, I do love all your reviews, and it makes me so happy to get a notification saying I got a review. But I feel like I should be replying to you, so from now on I'm vowing to reply to all the reviews I get on this story. So please give me some feedback with any suggestions, advice, opinions, anything! Thank you so much. **


	6. Jade Walks Out Part One

**You probably think I have no life because I updated this so fast. Not true! I have the week off from school and not much to do, so I've been staying up late working on this. It's actually been a fun one to write. Thank you so much for all of the positive reviews on the last chapter. I actually got a lot of reviews on the chapter, I'm not sure why it was so many than they last few but thank you! Keep them coming because they make me write faster. I did keep my promise and reply to everyone who reviewed. For the anonymous people, thank you as well. I hope you enjoy this chapter; it's a little different than the previous ones as it's kind of dramatic. It will have two parts. Once again, please review!**

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><p><em><span>Jade Walks Out Part 1- 2 Months Old<span>_

It starts as an average Thursday evening. It's seven o'clock and Beck still isn't home, despite the fact his shift it supposed to end at six. Sophia is incredibly cranky for some reason, so Jade is putting her to bed early. The bright eyed two month old is laying on the couch because the stupid fold out changing table is broken, and getting too small for her anyways.

"You, little butterfly, are being quite the brat today, so you are going night-night."

Oh no. Did she just call her daughter "butterfly" and use the word night-night? Maybe it's a good thing Beck isn't home yet.

Jade finishes buttoning all the tiny snaps on Sophia's pajamas, realizes she missed one, and has to start all over again. When she finally finishes dressing the squirming baby, she tickles her little feet, kisses her head, and puts her in her bassinet. Thankfully, Sophia is being a lot better about falling asleep. And staying asleep. She usually only wakes up once during the night to be fed. Jade puts a fluffy blanket over her daughter, who blinks up at her, and turns on the mobile above her. Hopefully, the spinning animals will relax her and make her fall asleep. Either that or make her too dizzy to keep her eyes open.

A few minutes later Beck walks in the door and kicks off his combat boots. He yawns and kisses Jade's forehead.

"Where's the baby?"

"Falling asleep. She's really tired for some reason. Did you bring food?"

"Nope."

She groans loudly. "Why not?"

"I don't know. We don't need to be ordering food all the time. We can barely afford groceries and gas."

"What about pizza? Pizza isn't that expensive. Two of these stupid microwaveable lean cuisine meals we keep eating cost less than a medium pizza."

"Well, sorry I'm not a finances expert. Let's just have macaroni and cheese."

"Can't. The microwaveable kind is gone."

"Is it really that big of a deal for one of us to go into my parents' house and use their stove to boil water?"

She rolls her eyes. He'll never understand why she wants to be independent. It has to do with her pride.

"Fine, Beck. You go boil water if you really want to. I'll just have cereal."

"Fine."

He doesn't end up cooking because he's "too tired." He just has cereal like her, and they eat in silence, Drake and Josh on in the background. Beck stacks their cereal bowls on top of the microwave and Jade snaps at him.

"You're not taking those inside?"

"I'll do it tomorrow. Is it really that big of a deal?"

"I'm tired of living in a pig sty."

"You seriously overreact way too much. Let's just go to bed, we're both cranky."

"I guess so." She sighs and they both crawl into bed. He tries wrapping an arm around her waist but she moves away from him. They're both exhausted. She takes care of the baby all day; he goes to school and then works. They haven't been spending as much time together and it's bad for their relationship. Jade knows that, but there's not much they can do.

A couple of hours later, neither of them have fallen asleep, and Sophia starts to cry. Jade groans and reaches over to turn on the light. Beck rubs his eyes. "Can you go get her, babe?"

"Why me? You haven't taken care of at all today."

"How am I supposed to take care of her when I'm not even home?"

"Exactly!"

"Jade, it's not my choice to be gone all the time."

She cries louder.

Jade sits up, getting defensive. "Then explain why you were almost an hour late coming home!"

"There was a problem with the pool filter and they needed me to help fix it."

"Whatever." Tired of listening to the crying, she gives in and gets up. Carrying her little daughter in one arm, she gets the formula and a bottle out. When the empty bottle falls to the floor, she yells at Beck again. "It would be nice if you could _hold_ her so I can _do_ this!"

"Fine, bring her over here!"

He sits up in bed and Jade hands Sophia to him. "Hush." He rocks her back and forth and runs a hand through his hair, obviously tired and frustrated. Jade spills some of the formula and curses. Beck rolls his eyes at her mouth. She puts the bottle in the microwave and slams the door, pressing the buttons angrily. Sophia whines.

"You need to calm down, Jade."

"Just give her to me and stop being a dick."

"I'm not doing anything, so just take a deep breath or count to ten or something."

She takes the baby and gets the bottle out. Sophia seems to forget all her troubles as soon as she gets the warm milk. Jade sits down and closes her eyes, trying to make her headache go away. It's only ten thirty and it feels like the middle of the night.

"Just because I don't go to school or have a job does not mean I'm not freaking exhausted." For some reason she feels like she's going to cry, which is weird. Maybe she just needs to cry. She hasn't in a while. In fact, the last time was when she was in labor and had to wait three hours to get an epidural.

"And just because I don't stay home with the baby all day doesn't mean I'm not exhausted either. You know what? If it's such a big deal to you, then just give her to me."

He stands up and walks over to her, and snaps his fingers. "Come on, give her to me."

"Just go back to bed, Beck."

"I said give her to me."

Her eyes widen at his rude, demanding tone of voice and she stands up, full out yelling now. "And I said no!"

"You said you didn't want to feed her!"

"I don't care anymore Beck! I already fed her seven times in the last twenty four hours! I can feed her again!" She can feel the blood rushing through her veins, her heart is beating at a mile a minute, and she's so hot she wants to rip her sweatshirt off.

Beck, feeling just as angry, slams his foot down and clenches his fists. "I'm tired of you trying to make me feel guilty! I do what I can for you and you just complain and whine! It's all you ever do!"

"Would you shut up before you wake up your parents?"

"You're yelling just as loud as I am!"

She feels tears burning her eyes. She wishes he would stop yelling and hold her in his arms and tell her it's okay to cry, its okay that you're a stressed out-over emotional-hormonal-freak, I still love you. But she knows that won't happen right now, because he's not perfect and neither is she, and they're both tired. Of everything.

So, she's not exactly sure what drives her to do it, but she stops feeding Sophia. She puts the top on the bottle and sticks it in the diaper back, puts a pacifier in Sophia's mouth to quiet her for a while, and straps her into the car seat.

Beck looks at her in confusion. "What are you doing?"

She grabs her purse and Sophia's diaper bag, and swings them both over one shoulder. She slides her pear phone into her sweatshirt pocket, and takes the car keys off the hook by the door.

"I'm leaving."

"Excuse me?"

"I can't deal with this right now."

"You can...you can't just...where the hell you are gonna go?"

"To my mom's, I guess."

"Jade you can't...you can't just walk out!"

"Watch me." She picks up the car seat and opens the door.

"You can't just...you can't just take my car and leave!"

He feels tears burning his eyes too and he grabs her arm. She shrugs his hand off. "You and your dad can pick your damn car up in the morning. Goodbye."

Without another word, she leaves, secures the car seat in the back seat, and gets in the driver's seat. Beck isn't sure if he should go outside and tell her to come back, but he's too shocked to do anything. He just stands in the door frame and watches. A tear runs down Jade's cheek as she starts the car and backs out of the driveway. Beck slams his fist into the metal door.

Sophia is snuggled in the car seat, sucking on her pacifier, looking around with wide eyes as if she doesn't know what is happening.

It takes about ten minutes for Jade to get to her mother's house. She takes the car seat and the diaper bag and goes up the porch steps. Her hand is shaking as she knocks on the door. Her mom answers, her curly brown hair down, her slippers on, and a cup of coffee in her hand. "Jade?"

"Can I...can I stay here?" A single tear runs down her cheek but she stops herself from crying again. Her mom looks confused but she quickly motions for her to come in. "Of course, of course honey. What happened?"

"Beck and I got in a fight."

Mae quickly takes the heavy diaper bag and closes the front door. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really."

She nods. "I'll go get you some coffee."

"No thanks. I just need to stay here for a while until I calm down. Until we both calm down."

"How bad was it?"

"We just yelled. I said I don't want to talk about it. I need to finish feeding Sophia."

"Okay, of course, sweetie." Her mother puts a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Why don't you go up to your room?"

"I thought you were making it into a guest room," she says coolly.

"Well...I decided to wait. You know, until you moving in with Beck was more…official."

Jade sighs and takes her stuff up to her bedroom. It's the still same way she left it. Dark walls, candles, jars of weird stuff on the shelves, her collection of butterflies, various posters. The tired girl sits down on her double bed and takes her daughter, who is still looking confused, out of her car seat. She finds the bottle, doesn't bother warming it up again, and starts to feed it to her.

Then she hears little footsteps and looks to see her sleepy eyed little brother standing in her doorway. She hasn't seen him in weeks. "Jade?"

"Hey, Noah."

The nine year old bounces over to her. "What are you doing here? Oh my gosh, you brought Sophie?"

"Sophia," Jade corrects. "And I'm just sleeping here tonight. Maybe tomorrow too. I don't know."

"What about your new house?"

"I just needed a little break."

"Did Beck break your heart? I told him not to! I told him I would beat him up if he did!"

Jade holds back a smile. "No, he didn't. Not really, anyways. Now go to bed."

"Can I hold her?"

She grumbles but pats the bed and he obediently sits down. She hands him Sophia and he smiles. "Hold the bottle up like this, okay?" He does as he's told. "She's bigger than last time I saw her. I missed you guys. I wish you would come here more. Maybe you can move back in?" He looks up at her with hopeful eyes and she pats his head. "I don't think so. But maybe I'll visit sometime. Now go to bed."

"But Jade..."

"Do you want me to tell the boogie monster to come get you?"

The little boy's eyes widen and he quickly hands Sophia back to her. "Goodnight! I'll be good, I promise!"

"And close the door on your way out," she yells. By now Sophia is done with the bottle, and after she burps her, she puts her back in the car seat. "Do you mind sleeping in here for tonight? Well, if you do, then too bad, cuz there's not really another option besides the floor. And you are _not_ getting the bed." Sophia blinks up at her and Jade puts the pacifier back in her mouth. "Go to sleep, baby."

She checks her phone to find about a million new notifications, all from Beck.

**Missed Call: 10:49 From: Beck**

**Missed Call: 10:56 From: Beck**

**New Message From: Beck**

**Sent At: 11:00pm**

**I can't even believe you! Pick up your phone! And do you realize that Sophia is my daughter too! You can't just run off with her! **

**Missed Call: 11:05 From: Beck**

**New Message From: Beck**

**Sent At: 11:12pm**

**I didn't mean that...I'm sorry. **

**New Text Message From: Beck**

**Sent At: 11:15pm**

**Text me?**

**Missed Call: 11:27 From: Beck**

She closes her eyes tightly, sets the phone on her nightstand, and crawls under the covers. The big bed feels so cold and empty. She hasn't slept in this room in over three months. The heavy covers over her don't make her feel warm and secure like they used to. She opens one eye to look at the car seat, almost as if she's making sure that it's still there. That _someone_ is still there with her. The room is complete quiet. She tries to figure out what's missing and then she realizes it. The sound of Beck's deep breathing. After sleeping next to him every night for so long, she must have just gotten used to it.

It takes a while for her to finally fall asleep. When she finally does, she has one of her "nightmares." Most of them are just flashbacks to her crappy childhood. When she first started sleeping over at the RV, she would freak Beck out by waking up in a panic. She doesn't have bad dreams as often now. But sometimes they happen when she's not with Beck.

_It smells like Lysol and some other cleaning chemical she can't put her finger on. There's a scent of coffee and rubber gloves mixed in there too. Actually, now that she thinks about it, it smells kind of like a dentist office. Clean, clean, everything is clean and sterile. There's a young African-American woman sitting across from her. She seems perfectly comfortable in the waiting room. In fact, she's simply reading a teen fashion magazine. _

_A woman with a clipboard opens a thick, wooden door. "Jasmine Williams?" The girl sets down her magazine and walks casually into the other room. Jade feels like she is sweating. Her heart is pounding. She glances nervously at Beck and he grabs her hand, tickling her palm with the rough skin of his thumb. _

_Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. _

_Stupid clock. _

_Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. _

_The receptionist won't stop typing. _

_Jade feels like everything is ten times louder than normal. Every little noise is making her jump. She hates it. Then the door opens again. This time the woman asks for her. "Jade West?" She doesn't respond. She clenches her fists and digs her nails into her skin until it hurts. "Miss West? We're ready to see you now."_

_"One minute." When she finally speaks, her voice cracks. "Are you okay, babe?" She nods at Beck and the woman leaves. "I just...I'm just kind of nervous. I don't know if I've thought this over enough, Beck."_

_"If this is because I told you I didn't want you to get an abortion, then don't be worried about that. I told you, I would never force you to keep the baby. I'm not mad at you."_

_"It's not that. I just feel like I rushed into this and maybe I need more time to think..."_

_"Miss West, are you coming? The doctor is on a very tight schedule."_

_She looks towards the woman with the clipboard and her breathing speeds up. She feels like her chest is caving in. Her palms are sweating. The walls are closing in around her. Her eyes cloud with tears. "I...I can't." The rest is all a blur as she starts to cry and runs out of the abortion clinic. Beck finds her in his truck, makeup all over her face. He rubs her back until she stops crying. _

_"I just couldn't Beck! I just...I don't think I can do it. I barely even thought about it, I just rushed into it! What if I'm making the wrong choice?"_

_He tells her she can think about it some more. They drive away from the clinic and never come back. _

Jade sits up in bed, shivering despite the five blankets covering her. As soon as she took the pregnancy test, she wanted an abortion. There was no question in her mind. She was Jade West, sixteen years old, and there was no way she could have a child. After she had an emotional breakdown in the clinical, she doubted if she was making the right choice by keeping the baby. But now she can't imagine her life without Sophia.

She turns the light on and lets out a sigh of relief when she sees her daughter, sleeping peacefully in the car seat. She glances at the bright red letters on the clock. 4:12am. With nothing better to do and not wanting to go back to sleep, she checks her phone again. More notifications.

**Missed Call: 11:45pm From: Beck**

**Missed Call: 12:01am From: Beck**

**New Text Message From: Beck**

**Sent At: 12:14pm**

**I give up. I'm going 2 bed. But please call me tomorrow after I'm done with school. I'm not working today. **

She deletes his messages.

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><p><strong>Drama! Don't worry, Beck and Jade will work things out in the next chapter. And we are starting to see flashbacks from the pregnancy! Do you guys want more of those or was one enough? Tell me in your review! I'm sorry if the flashback was too cheesy or it seemed like Jade was out of character. In my mind she really is a sensitive, insecure girl under her tough shell. <strong>

**Please don't add this to your alert or favorite list without leaving a short review to tell me what you think! Thank you so much. **


	7. Jade Walks Out Part Two

**Hello! I'm sorry for the wait on part 2. I've been sick and busy and it was my sister's birthday, and all that fun stuff. But anyways, thank you so much for all of your reviews! I believe I replied to everyone, and thank you to anonymous people as well. I just checked and this has the most alerts of all my stories and has the second highest hits and reviews of all my stories...so thank you! If you want you can follow me on twitter LoveLizMcGills. Sorry for the mindless advertising. **

**So here it is! It's kind of long, I hope you guys don't get bored and stop reading, but as promised, Beck and Jade will make up in this chapter. Review please and thank you! **

Considering it's barely 4:30 in the morning, the house is quiet. It feels empty. Jade's mother will probably be up soon though, to work out. She's on the move nonstop. When she's not at work, she's exercising, cleaning the house, at an appointment, taking Noah to a soccer practice, or attempting to find a boyfriend. A laid back life in the RV with Beck was a huge change compared to the hectic schedule at home.

Sophia hasn't been fed in hours, and Jade is surprised she didn't wake up during the night. She glances over to the car seat and finds her fast asleep. With a sigh, Jade gets up and walks down to the kitchen to make Sophia a bottle. When she comes back upstairs, she rocks Sophia back and forth gently and starts to unbuckle her.

"Come on, wake up. I'm gonna feed you now and try to go back to sleep."

The two month old slowly opens her eyes and looks around, yawning. Jade notices that her nose in running and grabs a tissue, making a disgusted noise. She sits down on the bed and puts the bottle in Sophia's mouth, expecting her to be starving, but instead the baby takes a few sips and turns her head away.

"What's wrong, aren't you hungry, you little pig? Are you trying to lose some of that fat?" She gently pats Sophia's tummy. Sophia just yawns and closes her eyes. Jade attempts to feed her again, but she spits out the milk in her mouth and refuses to eat anymore. She can't help noticing that Sophia's skin feels hot, so she decides to take her pajamas off. "You'd better not be sick."

As if answering her question, she begins to cough. With a sigh, Jade sits her on her lap, supporting her head with one hand, and pats her back. "Shh, it's okay." She continues to cough and Jade is afraid she's going to spit up on her, but the cough gets more and more dry. Sophia starts to cry and Jade wishes she hadn't woke her up.

Before Jade can do anything, Mae, wearing a bathrobe and slippers, appears at the door. "Are you okay? I heard crying."

"Really? Because last time I checked, that's what babies do."

"I was just..."

"I'm fine mom, she's just fussy and she's got a little cough. She's fine. Close my door."

"Well, alright...I'm going to go work out. Call me if you need any help."

"I've been doing this without your help for two months," Jade mumbles when her nosy mother leaves the room.

She forces herself to get up and walk around, hoping it will calm Sophia down. Holding Sophia against her shoulder, she rubs her back, but it doesn't seem to help. When Sophia stops crying to cough, Jade hears something else, and realizes her little brother is opening her door. He's still in his pajamas and looks confused.

"Go back to bed, Noah. It's early."

"Can you please make the baby stop crying?"

"I'm trying. Now get out."

"She's really loud!"

"I know! Get out!"

He scrunches up his eyebrows in frustration and leaves, closing the door behind him.

Jade bounces Sophia up and down gently and rocks her back and forth. "What is wrong with you?" After a few minutes her cries die down, but she is still squirmy and fussy. Jade puts her in the car seat and carries her downstairs into her mom's office. She sets the chocolate and blue car seat on the big oak desk. Sophia stretches out and whines, obviously not happy to be strapped back in her little jail cell. Jade logs onto the computer, still remembering her mom's password.

She takes a deep breath and opens up Google, then starts to type.

_baby won't eat and is coughing_

Sophia coughs again and starts to fuss, so Jade rocks the car seat back and forth with one hand. She looks at the computer screen and cringes when the first link that comes up is pneumonia. Jade decides to not even click on it and continues to scroll down.

**Yahoo Answers: My 4 month old won't eat?**

**Treatments for colds in infants**

**What to do if your baby has a fever**

**Yahoo Answers: Should I take my baby to the doctor? He won't eat and keeps wheezing? **

**Baby not sleeping**

Jade groans and goes back to the home page. She's still rocking the car seat back and forth, and Sophia seems to be calming down, but she's still coughing and sniffling. Jade types in _common illnesses in newborns _and searches again. She clicks on one of the links and is startled by a huge paragraph full of words she can't understand. She sighs and logs out of the computer. Sophia is starting to close her eyes and go back to sleep. Jade decides to do the same and carries her daughter back up to her bedroom, then climbs into bed. She considers texting Beck to tell him that Sophia is sick, but she decides not to. She doesn't want to give in.

Just as the young mom is drifting off to sleep, her door opens and her mom appears again, this time dressed in sweat pants and holding a water bottle. Jade sits up and throws a pillow at her.

"I'm trying to sleep!"

"Jade, I was just coming to check on you and the baby."

"We're fine! She keeps coughing but she went back to sleep."

"Did you take her temperature?"

"No."

"You should."

"She just went back to sleep."

"I'm going to take her temperature."

"Oh my gosh. Just get out!"

Her mother looks hurt for a split second and then quickly clears her throat and speaks again. "Jade, I'm not dealing with this. You are just as immature and rude as you were before you got pregnant."

Jade pulls a pillow over her head and looks up just in time to see her mother picking up Sophia.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm taking her temperature. Just go back to sleep."

"Fine, whatever."

Jade takes a deep breath and wishes she was back in the RV. Being with her mom reminds her why she wanted to move out in the first place. With nothing else to do, she checks her phone, but there are no more texts from Beck. He's probably doing his hair. She almost smiles at the thought but quickly remembers the fight and stops herself.

"Oh my gosh, poor little girl!"

Jade sits up and wonders for a minute if her mom dropped Sophia on her head. Her mother comes in with an alarmed expression. "Jade, her temperature is 100.8."

"That's not that bad."

"For a two month old it is!"

She gets out of bed and throws her hands up in frustration. "Mom, I'll call the doctor's office when it opens and make an appointment. Quit bugging me!"

Her mother hands Sophia to her and frowns. "Fine, but don't forget. A two month old baby should not have a fever like that. I have to get ready for work and take Noah to school."

"Alright. Bye."

Mae rolls her eyes at Jade's tone and leaves the room. Sophia starts coughing again and Jade brings her over to her bed and lays her on her chest, rubbing her back. "You'll be okay. You just have a cold. You'll be fine."

/-/-/-/

The crying will not stop. It's nine in the morning and Sophia's coughing is getting worse. The doctor told Jade they could see Sophia at twelve thirty, but she's not sure she can stand listening to the crying and coughing for that long, and she's starting to get worried. Her mom and brother are long gone, and probably won't be back until late tonight. Once again, she considers texting Beck, and once again, she decides not to.

Jade lays Sophia on the bed to change her diaper. She won't stop squirming around and she's still crying. When Jade takes her onesie off, she notices that her chest is moving up and down quickly, almost too quickly. When she breaths in, her chest sinks in so far you can see her ribs. Jade puts her clothes on her and gets up, rocking her back and forth.

"Calm down, please calm down." She can feel her own heart beating faster and she decides to call the doctor again to see if she can get an earlier appointment. She's still holding Sophia in one arm and she's still crying and coughing.

"Hello, Westwood Pediatrics, how may I help you?"

"Hi, I called earlier and my daughter is supposed to have an appointment this afternoon, I was wondering if you could see us sooner..." Jade pauses to shift Sophia. "She's acting like it's hard for her to breath."

"How old is she?"

"Just over two months."

"If she's having difficulty breathing we highly recommend you go straight to the emergency room."

Jade's heart sinks and she can't even think for a minute, but remembering that someone is still on the phone, she collects herself.

"Really? But she _can_ breath, she's still crying and everything..."

"With a child that young, it's better to be safe than sorry."

"Yeah...I guess...I'll take her to the hospital. Thanks."

The seventeen year old bites back tears and quickly puts her coughing, crying baby into her car seat. On cue, Sophia screams louder. Jade grabs her phone, the diaper bag, and her purse, and goes to Beck's car as calmly as possible.

/-/-/-/

She only has to wait about five minutes, and then she is whisked away to a little room with a doctor and two nurses. They waste no time taking Sophia out of the car seat, undressing her, and putting a stethoscope against her chest. The doctor listens to her breathing while one of the nurses comes over to Jade with a clipboard and starts asking her question after question.

"If it's okay with you, we're going to take her in the other room for a chest x-ray and a blood test."

The words x-ray and blood test are too much for Jade and she feels her throat tightening with the threat of tears. She nods and watches the doctor carry her daughter off, gently talking to her. One of the nurses follows her, and the other walks over to Jade.

"Sweetie, how old are you?"

"Seventeen," she replies quietly.

"Do you have someone that can be here with you? Your mom or dad?"

"No, my mom's at work."

The nurse nods. "Do you have a friend that can be here with you?"

"I guess...I should probably call my boyfriend. Her father."

"Okay. Don't worry too much. We're going to take good care of her."

Jade nods and gets out her phone as the nurse leaves the room. She hates being the one to give in, and she's still angry at Beck, but she can't just not tell him that his baby is in the hospital. He's probably in study hall right now, so if he sees that it's her, he might answer.

It takes three tries, but he does.

"Jade?"

"Hey."

"Hi."

"Umm...I called because I'm in the emergency room..."

"What? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Sophia wasn't eating and she wasn't breathing right so..."

"Is she okay?"

"I think so."

"What hospital are you at?"

"The big one with the tree."

"What?"

"You know! The one where I had Sophia."

"Alright. I'm on my way."

Before she can say anything else, he hangs up.

/-/-/-/

The nurse brings Sophia back about fifteen minutes later. The infant is wrapped in a blanket and has tape on her arm from where they must have taken blood. She's crying but as soon as the nurse hands her to Jade, she calms down. "What's wrong with her?"

"The doctor is going to look at the tests we took, but she thinks your daughter has RSV."

"What is that?" Jade's not sure, but it sounds serious. Before the nurse can answer, the door opens and Beck comes in. Jade feels relief rush over her as Beck walks over to her, his expression a mixture of confusion and worry. He puts a gentle hand on her shoulder. "What's going on?"

The nurse seems to take the hint and slips out.

"I...I think she's okay, she just..." Beck takes Sophia from Jade and kisses her little cheek. Sophia coughs and the doctor comes back in.

"Miss West..." She pauses when she sees Beck. "Oh, hello. Are you Sophia's father?"

"Yes. Beck Oliver." He shakes her hand.

"Nice to meet you, I'm doctor Harrison. We're going to take your daughter down to the children's' wing and put her on oxygen to help her breath. We think she has a severe case of respiratory syntactical virus. But if we give her an oxygen supplement for a while and get some more fluids in her, she should be fine."

Beck nods slowly. Sophia's tiny fingers wrap around two of his.

"Would you like me to take her?" The doctor asks.

He shakes his head and pulls his daughter closer. "No, I'll carry her," he tells the doctor in a firm, protective tone Jade rarely hears. The doctor, slightly taken aback but not upset, nods and motions for the couple to follow her. They do, Beck speaking softly to Sophia the whole time. She's still breathing hard and whimpering, but it seems as though she feels safer being held against her daddy's chest.

They are led into an elevator, and once it opens, greeted by a long white hallway. Once they finally arrive at their room, Beck reluctantly hands Sophia to the doctor, who takes her gently and places her in the plastic hospital bassinet. The room is small, but private, and Beck and Jade settle in on the small love seat.

The young doctor works quickly, and in a few minutes, Sophia has a tiny oxygen tube taped to her face, going into her nose. It's obviously not the most comfortable thing for her, but her breathing starts to improve almost instantly. The doctor tells them gently to let her rest; she'll fall asleep eventually, and leaves the room. Jade lets out a long, low sigh that she's been holding in all day.

Beck twists the ring on his index finger around, not wanting to meet his girlfriend's eyes.

Jade isn't sure what she was expecting when Beck showed up at the hospital, but it wasn't this awkward silence. She can't really blame him for being angry though. They were both wrong.

It takes a few minutes, but Beck finally speaks.

"Does your mom know what's going on?"

"No," she responds, avoiding his eyes. "She's at work."

"You could text her," he says dully, finally looking up.

She shrugs. "She'll just worry for nothing."

Beck looks off into space for a minute before he speaks again. "I don't get how it happened so fast. She seemed fine last night."

"Well, she was cranky." Jade is tempted to add a snippy _"Not that you would know,"_ but she bites her tongue.

"Yeah, that's true. I'm just glad you called me."

"Why wouldn't I? She's your daughter too." They look at each other for a minute and Jade quickly rolls her eyes and turns away.

At that moment, a nurse comes in and breaks the awkward silence. "The doctor would like Sophia to have an IV. She's really dehydrated. If you are okay with it, I can do it right now."

Beck and Jade exchange a glance and nod at the nurse. She seems to know what she's doing, but it still takes a few tries to get the needle in her tiny veins. The two month old is screaming and crying, and Jade has a sick feeling in her stomach.

"Can't you just put it in already?" She yells, standing up. Beck grabs her arm. "It's okay," he tells her gently.

The nurse finally finishes and Sophia's cries get quieter, and she promises that she'll settle down soon, once she gets used to the needle. Jade and Beck both cringe as the nurse leaves.

Jade is certainly not a mother that would like to think of herself as gentle or over protective, but she hates not being able to hold her daughter when she's crying in pain. She makes do with holding onto her little fingers, stroking her short, soft hair, and humming to her. Beck stands and watches.

When Sophia finally gets quieter, Jade goes back and sits down. Beck follows.

"I just hate not knowing what's going to happen to her. She could be in here for days. Or weeks...or months."

"Don't think like that. You heard the doctor. She's going to be fine."

Jade nods and blinks the tears away. "It was...it was scary. She couldn't breathe and I didn't know what to do..."

"You did good, babe."

She notices it's the first time he's used the nickname since the fight. They're getting somewhere.

Sophia squirms around and apparently it moves the needle. She starts to cry again. Jade sighs and feels tears running down her own face. Beck looks at her in surprise. He puts an arm around her, because even though they've been arguing, Beck is too much of a gentleman to sit there and let his girlfriend cry without trying to comfort her.

It only takes a minute and a few words of reassurance from Beck for her to regain her composure. The silence doesn't last too long before Beck, nervously running his hand through his hair, speaks.

"You were really scared?"

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry."

"Nothing you could have done. Even if I was at the RV you'd still be at school."

"I know." He rubs the back of his neck. "What were we fighting about, anyways?" He asks quietly.

She shrugs. "Something about macaroni and cheese and which one of us was more tired."

"We're idiots."

"Yep." She twirls a piece of hair around her finger.

"Are you gonna come back to the RV?"

"Duh."

"I mean like, tonight."

"Do you want me to?"

"Yes."

"Alright. But only to get away from my mom," she adds with a smirk. He grins and rolls his eyes, then pulls her close and kisses her cheek. She closes her eyes, savoring that one quiet moment; because she has a feeling it will be the last for a while.

**You weren't expecting that, were you? :) Okay, so I was going to continue on but it is already fairly long as it is and I didn't want to bore anyone. I will continue with Sophia's recovery in the next chapter! If you were hoping for a cheesy, romantic make up, I'm sorry! I just didn't want to do something that is written all the time. But yes, Beck and Jade are good now. It was a little awkward for a while but they're working it out. Please take one minute to review this. I know a lot of people say this, but honestly, every time I get a notification that someone reviewed one of my stories, I get all excited inside. The whole reason I write is to entertain you and to get feedback! If anything in this story is confusing or unclear, please just ask in your review, I hope everything is easy to understand. As always thank you so much for reading! **

**I have a feeling it may take a little while for the next chapter, I have so much music stuff in the next month, 2 concerts, a recital, a talent show, and I have to perform twice for a judge. So I'll be really busy with rehearsing and stuff. I will do the next chapter as soon as I can though! **


	8. Road to Recovery

**Ahh! This story has almost 3,700 hits! Thank you all so much! I'm starting to really have fun writing this story and I have planned it so much, I already know what's going to happen when Sophia is like two years old, lol. I'm not sure if planning is a good thing or bad thing, but I promise this story will continue for as long as I can and as long as you want to keep reading/reviewing it! I'm sorry it took a while for this update! I have been so busy and haven't had a good time to just sit down and write so this has kind of been a slow process. Here is chapter 8!**

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><p><em>To:Mom Sent at:11:04am<em>

_Hi mom, just wanted 2 let you know that we r the hospital, Sophia was having a little trouble breathing, but don't worry, she's doing better. _

_From:Mom Received at:11:09am_

_Oh my goodness! Why didn't you tell me sooner! Is she ok? Are you ok? Is Jade ok? I am on my way now! I will be there soon! It's ok just stay calmmm!_

_To:Mom Sent at:11:12am_

_We're fine. Calm down. The last thing we need is 4 u 2 have a heart attack on the way over here. _

It takes nearly an hour for Sophia to calm down, but when she does, she's out like a light, sleeping deeply, her chest moving up and down peacefully with each slow, long breath.

It's been nearly twenty four hours since Jade has had coffee, and she is, in her words "one hundred percent, positively, zombie level dead." He promises that he'll get her something from the hospital cafeteria when things settle down.

She decides she has to deal with waiting, but wishes she had some caffeine in her to help her deal with his mother.

The woman rushes into the room panting like she just ran up three flights of stairs, her black hair in a tight bun. The yellow sundress she is wearing and the smudge of dirt on her forehead are evidence that she's been gardening. Her facial expressions are a jumble of worry, confusion, and relief, and she immediately runs over to the hospital bassinet.

"Don't touch her!" Jade snaps, a little too abruptly. "She just fell asleep." Julia seems slightly hurt by Jade's harsh tone, but she settles on gently stroking Sophia's fuzzy, short layer of light brown hair. The tired infant doesn't move or make a sound. Julia sighs as she looks lovingly at her granddaughter, and then turns to Beck.

Without warning, the woman throws her arms around his neck, tears streaming down her face. Beck seems incredibly tired as he hugs his mother, wiping away her tears with his thumb. "Mom, please. It's okay. She's going to be fine."

Obviously realizing that being the oldest, she should be a role model in this situation, Julia pulls herself together. Beck wipes the dirt off of her forehead and she smiles weakly. "Do you...know what's wrong with her?" The middle aged woman asks the dreaded question quietly and slowly, as if saying it too suddenly will change the answer. Fortunately for Beck and Jade, a doctor comes in and saves them from having to explain the situation to Julia. The young doctor is carrying a clipboard and smiling almost too cheerfully. "Good morning!" She says. "How is everything?"

Jade shrugs. "You tell me, you're the doctor." Beck gives her the dreaded "look" but the doctor seems unfazed by her comment, and continues on. "Well, I've looked at some of the test results and decided that your daughter does have RSV. The virus is actually very common in infants, Sophia just happened to get a more severe case of it."

Everyone is silent, so Jade decides she has to be the one to ask the question on everyone's mind. "So? What does that mean? Is she okay?" The doctor offers up that insanely annoying cheery smile again and looks at her clipboard. "She should be fine. We're going to keep get on the IV to get some fluids in her, and the oxygen should help as well. But, as long as her body responds well to that, she'll be good as new in no time."

Beck and Julia breathe in deep sighs of relief, but the doctor's answer isn't good enough for Jade. "How much time is no time?" She presses.

"It could be a few days, or a few weeks, really. It's hard to say."

Jade's eyes widen at the prospect of her daughter being in the hospital for weeks. The doctor seems to sense her anxiety and puts a hand on Jade's shoulder before leaving the room. Jade doesn't take the gesture as comforting.

Julia runs her hand over her, hair, tucking a loose strand back into her bun, and shakes her head, looking worried. "Jade, I was right outside the RV, gardening. You could have come to me when Sophia started having trouble breathing."

"I wasn't at the RV," Jade snaps back. She really needs coffee.

"Oh...I didn't know you went out. Did you take my car?"

"No...I was at my mom's. I had Beck's car."

"Then how did he get to school?"

"I borrowed dad's car," Beck jumps in.

"Then...why isn't your mom here?" Julia questions.

"She was working." Jade shoots back.

"So...why were you at her house if she was at work?" She scrunches her eyebrows in confusion.

"Because, _Julia_, I.."

"She had to go pick something up," Beck cuts her off. "Some clothes that she didn't bring to the RV when she moved in." He raises an eyebrow at Jade, telling her not to get his mom involved in their fight.

Julia looks puzzled so Beck quickly changes the subject. "Uh, mom, I was about to go pick up some coffee and something for Jade and I to eat...do you want anything?"

"You two go. You seem exhausted. I'll stay here with Sophia and call you if anything changes."

"Are you sure?"

"She's sure!" Jade quickly jumps up. Beck shakes his head, kisses his daughter, and follows his coffee-deprived girlfriend out the door.

/-/-/-/

Jade wakes up to the sound of Beck's familiar heart beat. Her head fits perfectly against his chest, as it moves up and down gently with his slow breaths. They forgot to close the white blinds last night, so at seven in the morning, sun is already pouring into the white hospital room. A quick glance to the plastic bassinet reassures Jade that her daughter is sleeping peacefully.

Out of habit she tries to roll over and nearly falls off the couch she and Beck are huddled together on. She quickly presses herself closer to him and tries to close her eyes. It's been an incredibly long twenty four hours.

After their coffee break, which lasted no more than thirty minutes, everything was a rush of doctors, nurses, and visitors. Beck's dad came, and Jade's mom showed up as well. They took the IV out of Sophia last night, saying that she seemed to be doing better already, and, confirming the doctors decision, Sophia woke up to eat four times during the night. On top of that, a nurse was coming in every few hours to check Sophia's breathing, temperature, and heart rate.

Now Beck is sleeping deeply but Jade can't block out the blinding sunlight. She wants to wake him up but the tiny amount of consideration for others she has in her prevents her from doing it, so she just lies there and listens to the noises of the hospital coming from the hallway, and breathes a sigh of relief that they got their own room.

Jade feels everything blackening and blurring as she starts to doze off, but she hears whimpering, which turns to fussing, which turns to full blown crying. Loud crying, of course. She gets up with a groan and Beck starts to roll over and open his eyes.

Jade picks up her daughter and goes back to sit on the couch, leaning up against her boyfriend. She holds Sophia on her lap and pats her back gently. "I know you don't want to eat. You just had a bottle an hour ago. Why are you being fussy?"

"Because she can," Beck responds out of the blue. He holds out his arms and Jade passes Sophia to him. The infant snuggles right up to her daddy's chest and her cries gradually get quieter. Jade lays back down and literally has to hold onto Beck's arm to avoid falling off the narrow couch. Sophia, still wearing her little oxygen tube, closes her eyes, and Jade quickly follows suit.

"Beck?" She asks, her eyes still closed. "Yeah?" He puts one arm over her protectively. "When do you think she'll be able to go home?"

"I don't know." He pauses to consider this and kisses his daughter's head carefully, so he doesn't wake her. "But she seems to be doing a lot better. I think it will be soon."

"I hope so."

"Me too."

"This hospital is ugly."

"Not really. It's pretty nice."

"It smells bad and all the nurses are either anorexic and hitting on you, or fat. Really fat."

"That's not nice at all Jade." He rolls his eyes but hers are still closed, so she doesn't have to see his annoyance.

"I'm not a nice person at all, Beck."

"You are."

"Am not."

He closes his eyes too, patting Sophia's back gently. "You love me. And you love Sophia. That's enough."

"Well..."

"You do. You don't have to say it. But you do."

"I do love you."

His eyes shoot open and he pokes her in the belly, forcing her to open her eyes as well. "You said it! Without any begging or pleading or threatening from me!"

"Yeah. I guess I did."

"I knew you were a nice person."

Both of them yawn and close their eyes again, and try to forget about the world. The couple has dozed off into a light, dreamless sleep, and then...

"Dun duh dun duh!" Jade is jolted awake by the high pitched sound of a teenage girl's voice. Beck sits up as well, being careful not to hurt his daughter, who is still sleeping on his chest. "Dun duh dun duh!" The voice comes again, and it doesn't take long to realize that it's none other than Cat Valentine, cupping her hands around her mouth and trying her best to imitate a trumpet. Tori, Robbie, and Andre are also there, carrying an assortment of gift bags, balloons, stuffed animals, and flowers. Cat clears her throat and broadcasts, in the deepest voice she can manage, "Greetings! We have come bearing get well gifts for the baby!" She lets out a giggle at her own voice.

Jade doesn't even try to hold back the loud, frustrated groan that comes out of her mouth. "Can't you see we're tired?" She snaps. Beck runs a hand through his hair and gets up. The movement causes Sophia to wake up, but she stays quiet and still.

Tori jumps forward and hands Beck a bouquet of flowers. He takes them in his free hand and smiles. Jade shoots Tori a glare and getting the message, she quickly adds that "They're for both of you, of course." Beck passes Sophia to Tori, who is obviously eager to hold her.

This prompts Robbie and Andre to hold out the assortment of gifts they were forced to carry. There's a giant teddy bear for Sophia, some get well soon balloons, and a cardboard box of donuts for Beck and Jade. Even though she's not thrilled about the spontaneous visit, Jade eats a chocolate doughnut without complaint. She pulls out her phone and realizes it's now ten thirty, they slept longer than she thought.

Sophia starts coughing and Jade is tempted to grab her right out of Tori's arms, but the teenage girl is able to calm her down quickly. Jade grits her teeth. Yet another thing Vega is good at!

"Should we sing Sophia a song?" Cat asks happily. "I think it might make her feel better."

Jade responds with a flat out, heartless, "No."

Andre breaks the tension. "So, when is she going home?"

"We don't know," Beck replies, taking a bite of his jelly filled doughnut. Jade wipes the frosting off his face.

"Hey!" Cat yells suddenly. "I have an idea! We can have a big welcome home party for Sophia when she gets better!" Sophia lets out a little giggle mixed with a cough as if she understands what Cat is saying. Tori smiles and plants a kiss on her forehead. "See, she likes the idea!"

"Yeah, that might be fun," Beck chimes in.

Jade groans. Sometimes she wishes they could be like those couples on reality TV who have a baby and never see their friends again.

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><p><strong>Don't hate me! I know this chapter was pretty uneventful and kind of short, and the ending was terrible. To be honest I'm not very happy with it but there was really not much I could do with it. I mean, who wants to read about what goes on in the hospital all day? I could go back and redo it but it's been a long time since I updated and I just wanted to publish something. So I'm sorry for that, but I promise the next one will be more exciting. A lot more exciting! Trust me. Please take a moment to review, they make me so happy! My goal is to get to 50 or more reviews before the next chapter! Thanks! <strong>


	9. Three's a Crowd

**I'm gonna go right into the story but please read the notes down at the bottom. Thank you! Hope you enjoy. :)**

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><p><em><span>Three's a Crowd- 9 Weeks Old<span>_

"Get in there!" Jade West kicks a light green baby swing and cringes at the scratching sound it makes against the metal RV door frame. "Crap." It's not too easy to get the big contraption into the RV while holding a squirming infant in one arm. Jade kicks it again. It won't budge. She pulls with her free hand. Still, nothing. Great. Not only can she not get the baby swing into the RV door, but she also can't get it out, which means they are stuck outside. Jade plops down on the driveway with Sophia still in her arms.

"Why did grandma have to buy you that dumb swing, huh?" Julia said she saw the swing at a garage sale and just had to get it to celebrate Sophia's speedy recovery and release from the hospital. Jade watches as Sophia opens her mouth to giggle, her pacifier falling right onto the pavement.

"Sophia, that's disgusting. Now there's dirt all over your pacifier." The baby doesn't seem to care. She makes a grabbing motion with her fingers but Jade tosses the pacifier into the grass. "No way. You can't have it now." The baby looks like she's about to cry but is interrupted by the sound of a motor. Jade feels a weight lift off her shoulders as she sees Beck's car pull in. He gets out, tosses his keys in the air, and catches them without even having to look.

"Show off," Jade yells. He smiles. "So," the eighteen year old begins casually. "You wanna tell me why you're sitting in the middle of the driveway?" She answers him by pointing to the RV door.

It takes Beck about thirty seconds to survey the damage, tilt the swing at just the right angle, and slide it through the door with ease. Jade mutters a few curse words at him and waltzes into the RV, then kicks the swing again.

"Easy girl," Beck warns, moving it away from her. "We don't need to break it an hour after we got it."

"Where the hell are we gonna put it?" She snaps. "It's already crowded enough in here. And we need a crib."

"I know, Jade. You tell me every day."

"Well, when are we going to buy one? Sophia's going to outgrow the bassinet any day now. She eats like a horse!" Beck smiles and takes his daughter from Jade. "Do you need to go to a gym, Sophia?"

"Beck! I'm serious!"

"Okay. You're right. We'll buy a crib after I get this week's paycheck."

"And, where are we going to put it?"

Beck looks around and opens his mouth to reply, but the answer isn't so easy. Jade has a point. The RV is a mess. There are little toys and stuffed animals, clothes, and schoolwork scattered everywhere. Sophia's bassinet and baby swing are already taking up a ton of room, and a crib will make it worse. Plus, it's getting extremely annoying to keep changing Sophia on the couch. They need a changing table too, and there's no way that's going to fit.

"I have an idea," Beck offers hopefully.

"Oh, joy. I bet it will be amazing just like all your other great ideas."

He smiles. "We should move."

Jade doesn't reply, she just starts clapping loudly. "Bravo! And the award for best idea in the universe goes to...Beck Oliver!"

"Jade, I'm serious!"

"What are you smoking? We can't move. Do you know how expensive it would be to rent an apartment in LA?"

"I'm not talking about getting our own apartment."

"I don't want a creepy roommate living with us."

"I mean, move into my parents'..."

"No! No, a thousand times no! We will not move into your parents' house!"

"I don't mean directly with them!" He grabs her shoulder and forces her to sit down on the couch. Then he hands her Sophia because he's so excited about his idea he needs to be able to talk with his hands.

"Okay, so, you know how two years ago, my grandpa had to have that hip replacement surgery and he couldn't take care of himself? But he insisted on being independent?"

"Yeah..." Jade says slowly.

"And you know how my parents turned my sister's room and my room into a little apartment for him? With a tiny little kitchen and everything?"

"Yes, Beck."

"And you know how he died a few months ago and now the apartment is empty?"

"No! I don't care whether it's separate from them or not, it's still your parents' house! That means they could hear everything we do! And I mean _everything_! Like...at night! In the dark!"

"Jade, their bedroom is upstairs and ours would be downstairs. We'd keep the door to our little wing closed and they would only come in if they needed to."

"I won't. I refuse to. And besides, didn't your parents say they were going to try to rent it out?"

"Well, they wanted to but it's hard. I mean, it's so tiny. Just a bedroom with a bathroom and a little living room across the hall with a kitchenette. But it would be plenty of room for us!"

"No."

"Come on Jade? Won't you at least think about it? I mean, the bedroom alone is about three times the size of the RV."

"I don't wanna live under the same roof as your parents!"

As if on cue, Julia steps in the open door, carrying a large plate of cookies. "I hope I'm not bothering you," She says. Jade is tempted to tell her that she is but Beck is already giving her a warning look. Julia continues. "I just made these cookies and I had some extras so I decided to give them to you!" She hands the plate to Beck who greedily shoves one his mouth.

"So, mom," Beck starts to say through a mouthful of chocolate, "Jade and I were talking." Jade's eyes automatically widen.

"And this RV is getting pretty crowded."

Julia looks around and nods in agreement.

"So, I know grandpa's room is empty, and I was thinking maybe we could move in there. You know, it would be better for Sophia."

_Of course, Beck_, Jade thinks. _You have to bring the baby into it and make her feel guilty. _

"Oh, honey, why didn't you ask sooner? I...I think we can make that work. Obviously I have to talk to your dad first but..."

Beck cuts her off with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. She smiles.

Jade can only give him that look that says she's going to murder him in his sleep. With a pair of scissors.

**/-/-/-/**

"Jade, this would be perfect."

"I don't know."

"Look around! It's amazing."

"I wouldn't say amazing. But I guess its okay."

The couple is standing in what's referred to as the living room of the small in-law apartment. It really used to be Beck's older sister's bedroom, but when she moved away to go to college, and Beck, who had the room across the hall, moved into an RV, his parents took advantage of the two empty bedrooms and remodeled them.

The room they are standing in now is fairly large for something that used to be a bedroom. There are hardwood floors, a small closet, and just enough room for a couch, a TV, and some other things. There's one fairly big window on the wall to the right. The kitchenette is small, to say the least, but it has everything they need. A white refrigerator, stove, microwave, and a sink with a window over it. Most of the counter space is against the back wall, and a small portion extends out like a little bar, separating the kitchen from the living area. There is probably room for a small table on the wall across from the kitchenette.

Across the hall is the bedroom. It's a simple room, but it would be able to accommodate a double bed and a crib. Maybe even a changing table as well. There's an on suite bathroom with a double sink, and a bathtub with a shower head.

Surprisingly, Jade can imagine living here. It's almost like a little home, much more spacious then the metal RV they are squeezed into now. There's even a separate entrance into the hallway, so they wouldn't have to go through Beck's parents' house to get in. She just hopes his mother wouldn't be coming over to bother them all the time. After all, his parents' kitchen is right next to their little living room.

"You like it, don't you Jade? I can tell."

The teenage girl, trying to avoid eye contact with Beck, looks down at the baby in her arms. Sophia, a purple pacifier in her mouth, is fast asleep, wrapped tightly in a light blue blanket.

"I guess it's a little nicer than I thought it would be, but..."

"Great! So it's settled!"

"Not quite," comes a voice from the other side of the room. Of course, Beck's dad has to get the final word it. "Your mother and I talked about it, and we decided that if you're going to live here, we're going to need some money for rent."

Beck and Jade both feel their hearts sinking.

"Not anything ridiculous. Just some money each month to help cover the cost of heating, air conditioning, water, electricity, all that stuff. Plus it would be good for you to have some responsibility. Maybe two hundred dollars?"

Beck cringes and bites his lip. Right now he's working his butt off and making just under six hundred dollars a month. If his dad charges him rent one third of his income will automatically be gone. And that means they'll have to use the rest on gas money and groceries. Baby formula and diapers are certainly not cheap.

"I mean...I guess we could make that work."

"And part of it would be used to pay us back some of the money we've lent you."

"Yeah. Okay." Beck breathes a sigh of relief as if the deal is closed.

Jade still thinks this whole idea is insane, but when she pictures herself being able to take a shower without having to walk outside and into a whole other house, she decides that they have to make it work.

**/-/-/-/**

"Did you post it?"

"Yep."

"Oh."

"Why _oh_?"

"I don't know. How much are you asking for it?"

"Five thousand. But if someone wants to make an offer on it, I'll take it."

Jade looks around the RV and bites her lip. She'll miss it. This is their home. This is what made them independent.

"Do you think it will be enough to buy furniture?"

"Yeah. We can bring your dresser and bed from your mom's house. All we really need it a kitchen table and chairs, some couches, a crib, and a changing table."

"And some end tables and decorations. And paint. I don't want to live in a white room."

"You're right. But I'm sure we'll have enough money, and what we don't use, we'll put into a savings account." He puts his hand on the nape of her neck and gently turns her head towards him, pressing his forehead to hers. "We'll figure it out," he tells her gently. She pulls away and tells him she's not worried about anything.

"When are we going to get furniture?" Jade snaps, now wanting him to baby her anymore.

"Well, tomorrow's Friday. I have the day off. And Saturday too. We can go either of those days, I guess."

"Let's go tomorrow."

"Wanna ask Cat to come?"

"No."

"Why not? I'm sure it would make her day."

"It would _ruin _my day."

"Come on. It could be fun to invite Cat. She'd know what to pick out."

"She would pick out pink oompa loompa chairs!"

"What? I've never heard of those."

"Whatever. I just said the first thing that came to my mind."

"It's nice to know that the first thing that comes to your mind when thinking of Cat and furniture shopping is oompa loompas."

"I don't care. My point is, Cat is not coming with us. I won't let her. Not in a million, billion, trillion years."

**/-/-/-/**

"This is so exciting! Thank you so much for asking me to come, Jade!"

Jade grits her teeth at the red headed seventeen year old sitting in the back seat of Beck's car. Beck can't help grinning at Jade's frustration. He didn't invite Cat to annoy Jade, though. He knows that Jade likes Cat. She just doesn't like to admit it. And it will be good for her to spend a little time with someone besides her daughter and boyfriend. Taking care of Sophia has stolen whatever social life she used to have.

"Oh my goodness, Sophia is waking up!"

Cat is staring into the car seat in amazement. Jade hears Sophia yawn as Beck pulls into the parking lot of a used furniture and home accessories store. When Jade even mentioned the thought of going to an expensive department store, Beck gave her a ten minute lecture on the importance of saving money. Most of which, she had zoned out for.

They secure Sophia's car seat in the front of a shopping cart and Beck pushes it into the store, Cat and Jade following closely behind. Cat is bouncing with excitement and Jade is dragging her feet along like she's being sent into a torture chamber.

The store is huge, with furniture in the back and endless shelves in the front. "I guess we should get the decorations and small stuff first," Beck suggests, "And then order the furniture we want." Jade agrees, not that she cares what order they shop in, and leads the way into the maze of shelves. The store is anything but organized, and the shelves are simply a pile of a gently used or special sale items. Lamps, hanging pictures, small appliances, mirrors, pillows, and other decorations. They're cheap, but the quality isn't as bad as Jade expected.

The first thing they see is an assortment of bedspreads, which the salesperson assures Jade are not used. With the reassurance that she won't be sleeping in something previously on the bed of a fat old man, she agrees to look for one to buy. Beck's bedspread is too small for her bed, and he doesn't want to use the one she had-black with a girl holding an ax on the front.

After going back and forth for at least twenty minutes, Cat finally comes across something that's admittedly not too horrible, even for Jade. It's a deep red color with some white swirls like vines across it. It comes with almost a dozen decorative pillows, all different sizes and shades of red or white. "I guess its okay," Jade mumbles halfheartedly, but she's already throwing it in the cart.

An hour later they've collected a chocolate brown shag area rug for their new living room, several bronze colored table and floor lamps, dishes and silverware, which they didn't even realize they didn't own, dark brown curtains for the living room, red curtains for the bedroom, place-mats for the kitchen table, and a few miscellaneous picture frames.

Unfortunately, the store doesn't have much furniture in stock at the time, but they are able to find a crib and matching changing table set made of a dark wood that comes close to matching Jade's bed. They also grab a circular kitchen table and four matching chairs. The living furniture isn't as easy. Beck suggests a simple couch and love seat set, made of a light gray colored fabric. It's not too hard to tell that they're used, but the quality isn't terrible, and the pair is only two hundred dollars. Jade, however, has her heart set on a brown leather set. Which is also almost five times the amount of money.

When Beck says gently that they really shouldn't spend the money, Jade throws herself down in the middle of the store and has a full blown temper tantrum. Twenty minutes later, he gives in and makes arrangements for the leather furniture to be delivered to his parents' house.

Ultimately, they walk away with everything they need, and spend less than half of the money coming in from the RV. Jade even finds crib bedding that she actually likes. It's red and white plaid, like a picnic blanket, but surprisingly it's pretty. And for some reason it reminds her of one of Beck's shirts.

Beck tries to get Jade to go out to lunch with Cat and have some "girl bonding time" but she nearly gives him a black eye for using those words. So, they're content to pick out some paint colors for the new "apartment," as they're referring to it now, and then head back home. Of course they're exhausted from shopping with an infant and Cat, practically a child, but Jade shrugs it off because the day wasn't as terrible as she anticipated. "Still bad though," she tells Beck. He just smiles and rolls his eyes.

**/-/-/-/**

"I think I sold the RV." No more than twenty four hours after their shopping trip, three people have called Beck about his online advertisement.

"Oh. Did you get as much as you wanted?"

"Yeah. They're coming to pick it up in two weeks, so we have to be moved out by then. It shouldn't be too hard. We just need to paint."

Neither of them say anything for a minute and then Jade speaks. "Do you remember our second anniversary? When we had just blown all our money on Lady Gaga concert tickets and couldn't afford to go to dinner?"

Beck smiles.

"So we had a picnic on the roof of the RV and just laid there even though it was freezing. And we fell asleep and you rolled off and almost killed yourself," Jade reminds him.

"How could I forget?"

"Wanna...go up there?"

So, after they put Sophia to bed, they take a blanket, a bag of chocolate covered pretzels, and a baby monitor and climb up to the metal roof. They lay there, Jade's head on his chest, watching the stars, and trying to savor this moment. Because somehow they both know that when the RV is gone, their last connection to the care free, teenage life they once had will be gone too.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, I decided it was time for Beck and Jade to move on to bigger and better things. So...no more RV! I hope that chapter was okay, it may have been on the boring side. Okay, I have a few things I gotta say:<strong>

**1. Thank you so much for helping me go over my goal of 50 reviews! You are amazing. Your reviews make me so happy. (I know everyone says that but they really do.)**

**2. Beck's sister has never been mentioned before, although Julia did say in Chapter 1 that she has two children. I apologize for not mentioning Beck's sister before and just randomly putting her in. But to clarify she is older than Beck and doesn't live near them. She might make an appearance in another chapter. **

**3. I have no idea how much an RV or used couches would sell for so my apologies if that was unrealistic. **

**4. I'm gonna start putting a little "next chapter" thing at the end of each chapter. Why not? Hopefully the next chapter will be coming soon as I am on spring break. **

**5. I'm so sorry for how rushed that chapter seemed. I know it jumped around a little bit. Hopefully it wasn't too painful. **

**6. I just got a tumblr. So here's my shameless advertisement of the week. Follow me and I'd be happy to follow you back. The url is "wervictorious." **

**Thanks again and keep the reviews coming! If anything confused you just ask me.**

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><p><strong>Next Chapter:<strong>_** Moving Day**_


	10. Moving Day

**Ugh. I'm very sorry for the wait on this chapter. I actually had it done a while ago but to be honest I don't think this is my best work...so I was reluctant to publish it. BUT I need to continue this story and I couldn't do it all over again. So then I was going to post it a few days ago and we had family visiting and all that stuff. So, there's my long excuse speech. Once again, I apologize, and I hope you guys like this chapter more than I do! And thank you so much for all the reviews, alerts, and favorites! You're all amazing.**

* * *

><p><em><span>Moving Day- 11 Weeks Old<span>_

"All I want is sleep. Is it really too much to ask? After all the things I've done for you? I carried your child for nine months! I suffered through unbearable pain to bring her into this world! I take care of her while you go to school to get your precious education! And yet you can't even allow me ten minutes to shut my eyes? You are a cruel man Beck Oliver."

"And you are a crazy, crazy girl Jade West. You're also adorable."

"Shut your face."

"Alright Miss Grumpy. Rest for ten more minutes since you played the guilt card. But everyone's gonna be over here to help us paint soon, so you gotta get ready fast."

"It's like four in the morning!"

"It's seven, love. Now close your eyes for a little while. I'll feed Sophia."

Jade decides not to thank him because in her eyes, he doesn't deserve it. Not after inviting Andre, Robbie, Tori, and Cat over to help them paint and move into their new little apartment. She'll admit, she's excited about getting out of the RV. She's not excited for the actual process of moving in.

A half an hour later, Beck comes in from the house, waking her up again, and not pleased that she's still in bed. He practically rips the covers off of her and tickles her sides until she obeys and gets up. It doesn't stop her from getting back at him by taking an extra long time in the shower and stealing ten dollars from his wallet.

When she walks out of her new bathroom, her wet hair in a messy bun, the chaos has already begun. Andre and Beck are laying out sheets in the living room so the paint won't get on the floor. There's a fold out table set up with coffee and boxes of donuts. Julia, carrying Sophia in one arm, adds a bowl of fresh fruit to the little breakfast buffet.

A bouncing Cat runs up to Jade and hugs her. "Oh my gosh! I love painting! I'm so excited! Are you happy?"

"No."

The red head only looks hurt for about two seconds. Then she pours Jade a cup of coffee and tells her to cheer up because "Life is beautiful."

"Oh good. Mama's here," Jade hears Julia say. She hands Sophia over to Jade, who takes her in one arm. "She was fussing while you were in the shower." The baby, a blue pacifier in her mouth, snuggles closer to her mother's chest.

Beck explains their plan of action, paint the living room beige and the bedroom red. It seems simple enough, and Andre carries two of the paint cans to the other room.

"Don't forget to get some breakfast!" Julia yells to him. "Maybe we should split up to make it go faster. Andre, Cat, and Robbie can paint the bedroom. Beck, Jade, Tori and I can work on this room. And we can all take turns watching Sophia."

"Isn't Mike coming?"

"No...He's tired. So I guess he's just sleeping," Julia says quietly, looking away. Jade shrugs off the weird tone in her voice. Beck's dad was never half as supportive as Julia, and lately it seems like he wants nothing to do with any of them. Julia, as if sensing the awkwardness, claps her hand together and puts a smile on. "Alright! Let's get to work!"

Jade, of course, takes the first shift watching Sophia, mostly to get out of any kind of physical work. According to Beck, however, she needs to stay and be at least somewhat social. So, she is content to sit on the kitchen counter, watch Sophia sleep in her bouncer seat, sip her coffee slowly, and stalk people on TheSlap.

Once Beck realizes Jade isn't really babysitting, he hands her a paint roller and tells her to get busy. Luckily, he and Tori have already done the first coat on three of the walls, and Julia is almost finished painting carefully around the trim. This leaves Jade with one big wall to paint, Beck to help her, and Tori to annoy her. The brunette is trying to help, but she's mostly have a one sided conversation with Jade. "Hey, I thought you said you were coming back to school when Sophia was two months old?" Jade rolls her eyes and focuses on her work. "I did say that. What's your point?"

"Well, isn't she already almost _three_ months old?"

"Yeah."

"Then why aren't you back at school? People miss you!"

Jade takes note of how she says "_people_" miss you, rather than "_I_" or "_we_" miss you.

"Look Vega, taking care of a baby is hard. On the rare occasions where I have _time_ to do school work, I'm too tired."

"Well, I'm sure your grades would improve if you came back!"

"And I've told Jade, a million times, that I'm not working! I'm more than happy to take care of Sophia when she goes back," Julia adds to the conversion from across the room.

Jade rolls her eyes and Beck chuckles, pretending not to notice what's going on around him. It's not like he hasn't tried to get Jade back in school a number of times. He even spends hours helping her with homework after he gets home from work. But she's usually too tired or distracted to learn anything, and he usually starts scolding her about the number of D's and F's she's received that week, and eventually they get in an argument and going to bed.

"Whatever," Jade replies sourly. "Maybe I'll go back once we're all settled in here."

"She will," Beck mouths to Tori. Jade just keeps painting with her face wrinkled into what seems to be a permanent pout.

It doesn't take too long to finish the wall. While Julia finishes painting the small areas with a brush, the trio decides to wander across the hall and check on Andre, Robbie, and Cat. They're expecting to see the bedroom done, if not close to done. Instead, one of the walls is painted in the red color, two of them are completely blank, and the last has "Robbie loves Cat" sloppily painted across the wall. Robbie's face is red with embarrassment, Cat is giggling and painting hearts around the words, and Andre looks like he wants to slap them both.

"You guys! More than an hour and this is all you got done?" Tori exclaims in confusion.

Cat pauses and smiles. "Robbie said he loves me! He's so silly!"

"Cat, I told you, I was manipulated into painting that when you left to get a snack! I didn't mean it!"

"Oh Robbie. Of course you did, silly."

Andre throws down his paint brush with a groan. "I knew I wouldn't be able to work with these two!"

"It's fine. We'll all work on the room," Beck replies calmly, patting Andre on the shoulder.

"What? No way! I did my fair share in the living room."

"Jade..."

"Robbie loves me! That's kind of gross!"

"I don't love you! Unless, of course, you want me to..."

"Oh my gosh."

"Guys, we need to get this stupid room done so it has time to dry! We have to move the furniture in tonight!"

With their luck, the thing that silences the group is Cat, tripping over a can of paint and spilling it all over the one place that hasn't been covered with and old sheet. Their hardwood floors. Covered in gooey red liquid. Everyone just freezes. Sophia takes the opportunity to let out a loud whimper from the other room and start sobbing. This, and the fact that she just ruined the hardwood floors, causes Cat to burst into tears as well.

"Alright, everyone calm down," Beck says, patting Cat's back."I'll go get some wet towels and clean this up. I'm sure it won't ruin the floor. It's okay, Cat." The redhead sniffles and wipes her tears. Jade goes to get Sophia and finds that Julia has already calmed her down. The boys succeed in wiping up the floor and the six of them start working on the bedroom together. Cat whimpers when they paint over "Robbie loves Cat."

All Jade can think when the room is finally finished is how crazy Beck is to call them their friends. _  
><em>

_/-/-/-/_

By the time they are finished cleaning up the mess they made and eating lunch, the paint is dry enough for them to start moving furniture in. Beck and Andre take a pickup truck over to Jade's house to get her bed and dresser, leaving her with Tori, Cat, and Robbie. In other words, a houseful of circus people.

Tori starts to whine about how they can't move anything without the boys, and Robbie protests that he is just as strong and manly as Beck and Andre. Jade tells them both to shut their faces and help her move the couches in. She doesn't worry about Cat, who just keeps trying to ride on the couch while the others lift it.

For some strange reason, Julia knows how to hook up a TV and mount it to the wall. Jade's not exactly sure why Mike wasn't here to help with this, but she doesn't ask. Arranging the couches around the TV doesn't take too long. They're put in an L-shape, the long one directly in front of the TV, the love seat placed vertically on the left, separating the living area from the kitchen. They put Sophia's baby swing and bouncer seat behind the big couch, and Jade imagines that when Sophia is a little older, this little space will be cluttered with toys. They throw the shag rug in front of the couches.

Cat and Tori are incredibly enthusiastic about decorating the place, but Jade is content to toss some throw pillows on the couch and call it a day. She doesn't stick around to help put the bed, crib, dresser and changing table in the bedroom. She just makes the excuse that Sophia is grumpy, when in reality the baby doesn't seem to have a care in the world today. Except for eating.

Beck finds her cuddled in the empty RV, feeding Sophia a bottle. She doesn't seem to notice him walking in, because she continues talking to her daughter. "You greedy girl. I gave you this bottle ten minutes ago and you're practically done! Do you eat when you're stressed? You must be stressed about the lunatics in our new house." Beck smiles at his girlfriend, who would never have a conversation with a newborn in front of him. Jade jumps when she sees him.

"You can come out of hiding now. Everyone went home."

"Your mom?"

"She got a migraine so she's baking a cake. Or something like that."

"Why would you bake a cake when you have...oh, never mind. I never understood her anyways."

"You know," Beck says, plopping down on the couch next to Jade, "She's really done a lot for us. Teaching us to take care of a baby when we were clueless. Helping us paint. Offering to babysit Sophia when you go back to school. I don't understand why you're so annoyed by her."

Jade sighs. She doesn't even know anymore. Julia_ is _annoying. She's too peppy and cheery, she's obsessed with gardening and baking and clothes, and she can afford to throw money around on pointless things whenever she wants. But Jade has to give her some credit. She's been able to put up with her douche bag of a husband all these years. Maybe Jade is just jealous because Beck has a mom who actually cares and she doesn't have any parents who care.

She doesn't say any of this to Beck, of course. She just suggests ditching what's left of their old home, a couch and a few of Beck's childish Katy Perry posters, and settling into their new place. He agrees and happily takes Sophia, who seems content to fall asleep in his arms.

"And I know the first thing we can do in the apartment," he tells her as they step into it from their own separate entrance.

Jade raises an eyebrow, thinking about what he has in mind, but instead he says "Work on your school work!" With an overly happy grin obviously met to mock her. He puts Sophia in her brand new crib and they sit down on their new bed, a laptop, books and papers scattered around them. Beck tells her they should tackle the class she's doing worst in. English.

The assignment contributing the most to her failing grade, a 49% to be exact, is a report she should have written weeks ago. On the most important people in her life. "Alright," Beck says, rubbing his hands together. "Let's get busy. The paper says, 'Write a report of at least four pages describing the person or people who are most important to you, how they have impacted your life, and why they mean so much to you.' That sounds easy, doesn't it?"

"No! There's no one in my life that I look up to! My mom argues with me whenever she sees me, I barely put up with my friends, and my dad refuses to believe he contributed half of my DNA! You, you're not half bad, but I can't write about my boyfriend! That would be weird and corny." She takes a pause to breathe. "Who did you write about?"

"I'm in advanced English, remember? I didn't have to do that report."

She forgot she was in the stupid English class.

"Why don't you write about Sophia? She affects your life."

"I think I'll write about Johnny Depp."

"Ermm..."

"Oh yes. This is perfect. I'm totally doing it."

Jade gets about two sentences done and then Beck makes the mistake of mumbling, "It's kind of warm in here." She takes it as "Jade, pull my shirt off! Forget about your homework!" So she does. He's trying to get her to focus when she starts tracing his abs. He's talking to her about going back to school when she starts drawing pictures on his chest with her fingers. He's trying to yell at her when she reaches up and kisses up, and he has no choice but to give in.

Oh well. Homework can wait for another night.

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><p><strong>I have no idea what happened with the last part of that. Totally irrelevant to the rest of the chapter, but oh well! I was in need of a little fluff. Okay, so about the RV...I'm sorry so many people were sad to see it go! I am too, but trust me, the apartment will feel like home to Beck, Jade, and Sophia soon enough. <strong>

**In 6 more reviews this will become my most reviewed story! Thank you all so much. Can I get there before the next chapter? :)**

**Next Chapter: **_**Bad Boy Beck**_


	11. Bad Boy Beck

_Bad Boy Beck- 3 Months Old_

"Unbelievable."

"What's wrong?"

"I got a sixty on my Johnny Depp essay! I worked really hard on that!"

"Babe, you spent twenty minutes on it."

"Whatever. I thought it was good."

"Jade, you need to go back to school."

"I know! I told you, I talked to Lane and he said I just have to let him know a day in advance before I come back. I'll do it next week."

Beck sighs and kisses Jade's head. She's lounging on the couch in their new apartment, Sophia sleeping in the baby swing behind her. "At least try to get some school work done today, okay?"

"Maybe," she mumbles.

"I'll be back at six thirty. I have to work today."

She makes an odd groaning noise that resembles her getting run over by a truck, and he can't help laughing as he goes out the door.

"Well," Jade says to Sophia when he's gone, "He better not be expecting me to have dinner for him when he comes home just because we have a kitchen now."

/-/-/-/

It's pretty pointless that Beck even came to school on time for a free period, just to sit around in the Black Box. Thankfully Andre and Cat are there too, so the morning isn't too uneventful. That is, if you call studying for a film editing test and having gummy worm eating contests eventful.

Strangely enough, just as they are leaving the theater for their next class, something a little more interesting happens. Beck feels someone tapping on his shoulder. He turns around to find a blonde haired boy, probably a freshman or sophomore, starting at him. "Dude, you left your phone," he says, holding out Beck's black pear phone. Beck takes it with a casual smile. "Thanks, man."

"No problem. Cool baby."

It takes Beck a minute to register that the guy is talking about the background on the phone, a picture of Jade holding Sophia, both sticking their tongues out at the camera. A picture that would surely cause death if Jade found out he hadn't deleted it yet. Beck nods and mumbles a thank you at the boy.

"Is that Jade White?"

"Uh, Jade West. You know her? I didn't think you were a senior."

"Nah, I'm a sophomore. But who doesn't know Jade?"

Beck chuckles awkwardly. "Yeah, I guess she's pretty famous around here."

"Is that...her baby?"

He sighs, but can't forget to mumble a prayer of thanks that Jade isn't here to witness this.

"Actually, yes," he says. "And mine."

"Whoa! Man, I thought I knew all the juicy stuff around here! And then you tell me that Jade Wells is a _mother_!"

"West," he corrects again.

"Yeah. West. So you're like...dating her?"

Beck isn't exactly sure why this guy is so interested in his personal life, and he's starting to think forgetting his phone would have been better than this. He holds it together though, and quickly tells the blondie he's been dating her for the past three years.

"You're one brave dude," he replies. "To be honest, I'm surprised she hasn't abandoned the baby by the side of the road yet!" He lets out a loud laugh. Beck, on the other hand, doesn't find it funny.

"What is that supposed to mean?" He snaps.

"Just that...she's a gank. You know." He shrugs. "I can't imagine putting up with her for three _days_. Let alone three years. I just feel bad for your poor kid! It'll probably end up in prison or something."

Beck feels the blood rushing through his veins and his heart rate speeding up, and he's not sure if he's just imaging the beads of sweat on his forehead or not. He clenches his fists at his sides and tries to remain civil with the arrogant child.

"Well, she's no angel, but I wouldn't judge her before you get to know her," He replies through clenched teeth. "And the baby is a she, not an it."

He laughs again. "I guess so, man. I still think you're insane. Can't say I blame you though. Jade Wells is _hot_."

Beck doesn't bother correcting him on the last name again. He just bites down, hard, trying to keep from screaming at this kid, and starts to walk away. But apparently Mr. Snobby Sophomore isn't done talking.

"I mean _hot_. Man, I would do anything to have my way with that slut in bed-"

He barely gets the last word out. He doesn't have time to, because before Beck knows what he's doing, his fist connects with blondie's face. All he can feel is rage. At this stupid kid, probably only fifteen, who thinks he knows everything about Jade. Excluding her last name, of course. He doesn't stop there, though. The words _gank, slut, _and _give anything to_ _have my way with her, _ring in Beck's ears, and he slams him right into the stone wall of the theater. Hard.

It takes both Andre and a passing janitor to pull him off of the kid. And before he knows it, he's being dragged into the guidance counselor's office, where Lane, Derek the security guard, and Vice Principal Dickers join him. He's still not entirely sure what he's done. All he can feel is blood rushing through him, his heart pounding out of his chest, pure anger and adrenaline.

When he sees the angry faces of the school staff, he slumps down on the couch and buries his face in his hands for a minute. Calm, kind, level headed Beck just pounded a fifteen year olds face. Not without reason, of course. Lane will understand that, won't he?

"What happened?" The first question comes from Lane, looking laid back as always, but also confused.

Beck takes a deep breath, preparing for his calm, rational plea of innocence, but all that comes out is an angry "He was making fun of my girlfriend!" He cringes. Sounds more childish than he thought.

"Look, Beck. When someone says something you don't like...about yourself or someone you love...that doesn't mean it's okay to beat them." Lane takes a squirt of lotion.

"I don't even know the kid! I was just defending Jade and my daughter!"

Mr. Dickers shoots up from his chair. "It doesn't matter!" He snaps. "We take fighting very seriously in this school!" Beck is tempted to yell back at the man but he holds it together. Maybe if he plays nice they'll let him off easy. "I know."

A school nurse comes in and whispers something to Lane, then quickly leaves. He turns to Beck.

"Beck, Nurse Cotter just told me that she's taking care of Matt. The kid you...umm...beat up. He's got some pretty bad bruises but she doesn't think any of his injuries are serious. You're not out of the woods yet though. If his parents want to, they could press charges."

"See!" Mr. Dickers bursts up from his seat on Lane's desk. "You're eighteen! He's fifteen! You could be charged with assault! You could go to jail!"

"Alright, let's just calm down. Trust me, I know Beck, and this is the first time he's ever gotten into trouble like this."

"I don't care if he's some sort of saint! School policy says that physical fighting automatically results in suspension!"

Beck's ears perk up at this. Suspension? When he got called in here he was hoping for detention. Anger management classes, something. But suspension? That goes on your permanent record. Lane sighs, and it's obvious he wants to let Beck off the hook this time. Unfortunately, he's just the counselor, and the vice principal has more power than him.

"Beck, we're going to have to suspend you from school."

Beck finds it hard to reply, but he does. Quietly. "How long?"

"Two weeks!" Dickers barks at him.

"One week." It takes some negotiating but Lane finally gets Dickers to agree. And with that, Beck is dismissed from school with the promise that his parents will be notified immediately.

/-/-/-/

When he gets home, slamming the door behind him, his dad already knows. His mom isn't home.

Jade immediately sees him, exactly what he didn't want, and walks over to him, Sophia in her arms. Beck tries to play it cool, holding his hands out to accept his very alert, very squirmy baby. He kisses her head and she blows bubbles at him. "Why are you home?" Jade asks, a look of worry flitting across her face. "It's...a long story. But everything's fine, I promise." Before Jade can ask him another question like she wants to, Beck's dad bursts into the apartment. He looks angry but pauses when he sees Jade and Sophia. "Can I talk to you?" Is all he gets out. Beck nods and hands his daughter back to Jade. "I'll be right back," he whispers to her. She knits her eyebrows in confusion but knows better than to follow him.

They're only in the kitchen when Mike stops walking and turns around to start yelling. Beck crosses his fingers that Jade won't be able to hear it. "I go to work!" He says. "I forget my laptop at home, and drive back. And just when I'm about to leave for work again, I get a call that my son has been _suspended_ from school for fighting!" Mike's hands are flying all over as he speaks and he looks like his head is going to explode.

"It's not what you think dad, okay?" Beck is yelling just as hard. "Some idiotic kid was saying things about Jade. Saying how awful she was, asking if she's abandoned her child yet, telling me how bad Sophia will turn out! And on top of that, wanting to sleep with her! Right to my face! What was I supposed to do? Stand there and see what other great things he had to say?"

"Well, you weren't supposed to attack him! If you had to, you could have done it outside of school! What if the kid's parents get the police involved? How are you supposed to get into a good college when they see _that_ on your record? They'll think you're violent!"

"You know that doesn't matter. I'm not even going to college!"

"What?"

"Come on, dad. You've known this for a long time. I can't afford college."

"Your mother and I can help you! You can get a scholarship!"

"I'm not going. There's no point. Jade won't be able to go, so why should I get to when she has to stay home babysitting?"

"And how do you plan to support Jade and Sophia with no college education?"

"I don't know! But I know I'll figure something out!"

"You have responsibility now Beck! You're a father! You can't just go around doing whatever you want and hoping to get a big break with some acting job!"

Before Beck can reply, Julia walks through the front door, a bag of groceries in her hands. She sets them down on the island. "What's wrong?"

"Your little angel of a son got himself in a fight. He's suspended for five days."

Beck feels like he's being stabbed when he sees the look of hurt on his mom's face. "Beck?" She asks softly.

"Mom, it's not as bad as he's making it sound! I was defending Jade!"

"Poor Jade! It's all about her, isn't it?" Mike yells. "And just because you got her pregnant, she gets to live here, eat our food, lounge around while you work and go to school..."

"Why don't you stop complaining?" Julia butts in. "It's not like you're even around enough to be bothered by her!"

Beck raises an eyebrow. This is possibly the first time Beck has ever heard his mom yell at his dad.

"What's that supposed to mean? You make it sound like I'm off partying! I work! I make money for _you_!"

"Yeah, you _work_. All day? I don't even know why you want the house. You're never here!"

Beck squints his eyes in confusion, looking from his mother to his father. Why he wants the house? Are they moving?

"Maybe I'll just forget about the house! I can't wait to sign the papers and be done with this!"

"If your stupid lawyer would hurry up, maybe we could." This time she's not yelling, she's just talking like she's tired. Of everything.

That's when it clicks. Papers. Lawyers. Yelling. Fighting. They're getting a divorce. They haven't told him. But in all their anger they let it slip out in front of him. Julia seems to realize this and tries to say something to Beck, but he's gone before she can get a word out. He slams the apartment door shut, locks it, and can barely stop himself from sliding his back down the wall in despair.

"Alright." His girlfriend says. "What the hell is going on?" Sophia whimpers in her arms as if she understands that something isn't right. Jade hands her over to Beck and she nestles against his chest.

"I got in a fight. I'm suspended."

"Okay," she replies, un-phased. "What's the bigger news?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're acting like you got hit by a truck! What did your dad say to you in there?"

He sighs and runs his free hand through his hair. "They're getting a divorce."

Jade has on a look of confusion and shock for about two seconds, and then she starts asking questions again. "When? Why?"

"I don't know. I don't they meant to tell me yet."

"Oh." She bites her lip. "Are you...upset by that?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know. I guess I kind of anticipated it."

"Well I didn't. And yes, I am upset by it!"

"Sorry."

"It's not your fault." He looks at her awkwardly for a moment and then hands Sophia to her. "I'm gonna go take a nap. I have a headache."

He's in the bedroom, door slammed behind him, before she can reply. She sighs and plops down on the couch. She knew this would happen. She knew Julia and Mike were acting weird. Actually, now that she considers it, maybe they were having problems for a while. Maybe that's the reason Mike slept in Beck's RV instead of the house every so often.

Sophia starts sobbing and Jade can't help but wonder if she likes Beck more than her. "Shut your mouth. Daddy's in a bad mood and he wants to sleep," she snaps at the infant, which only makes her cry louder. Jade walks around with her until she calms down. She puts a blanket on the floor and lets Sophia lay on her tummy, who is content to attempt what looks like little pushups. Jade watches TV until Beck comes in and announces he's going to work. Then she scoops Sophia up and decides to get to work.

"Alright, your dad's in a bad mood. Which means he won't do anything except mope around. So we're going to make him dinner to cheer him up." Sophia squeals as if she knows exactly what Jade is saying.

/-/-/-/

Three tries. It takes Jade three tries to make a lousy pot of Spaghetti. The first time, before the noodles are even in, she forgets about the water and it boils over everywhere. After she gets that cleaned up, she tries again, and the finished product is a small handful of spaghetti that wouldn't be enough for a toddler. After that, she pours the whole box in. Maybe it's too much, but it works.

She also warms up some sauce, from a jar of course, and puts frozen garlic bread in the oven. It makes her smile when she remembers to take it out and manages not to set the house on fire. She even takes the liberty of setting their little table nicely. Beck comes home right on time, maybe even a little earlier than usual. His mood seems to have gotten worse.

"Of course the other life guard didn't show up, so I didn't even get one break." He says, throwing his backpack on the couch. "And every time I saw a police car, I had a heart attack."

"Why?"

"Lane and Dickers told me I could get arrested if the kid's parents want to press charges."

"Who? What did you even do?"

"I told you, I got in a fight."

"But why? How?"

"It doesn't matter. I'll tell you later. I'm starving."

"I made you dinner."

"You...what?"

"I told you, idiot, I made dinner."

"Oh." Sure enough, he walks into the living room to find the little kitchen table set, two plates of spaghetti and garlic bread set across from each other. "Wow, Jade. You even put the forks in the right place!" He grabs her and kisses her temple.

"Don't get used to it," she snaps, pulling away. "I just did it to get you to stop pouting. Sure, you might go to jail. Sure, your parents are splitting up. The world is still turning and you still have me. So find your man card and face it."

Beck stares at her for a minute. "Jade West, you'd better never become a guidance counselor. You're the worst." But he can't help saying it with the hint of a smile on his face, and the dinner she made isn't half bad. He's so proud of her he even offers to do the dishes and put Sophia to bed. The infant is extra tired for some reason, so she falls fast asleep before she can even finish her bottle. Beck and Jade settle in on the couch and put on Drake and Josh. It's the first time they've watched it together since Jade was pregnant. They just didn't have the time with a newborn.

Jade rests her head on his shoulder. "How long are you suspended for?"

"This whole week."

"It must have been bad."

"I guess."

"Beck...just tell me what happened."

He sighs and pulls away from her. "A sophomore kid was being an idiot. Just making smart comments and getting on my nerves. So I taught him a lesson."

"What was he saying?"

"I told you, he was just being a jerk."

"Was it about me?"

"Of course not." He turns the TV up louder.

"About the baby?"

"No. I'm done talking about it, alright?"

Jade sits up and turns the TV off. "So, he said something bad about me, didn't he? What did he say?"

"Jade..."

"Tell me! I guess you have to defend me, huh? I guess you think I'm a defenseless little girl that needs you to take care of me! Who else at school is talking about me?"

"Calm down!" Beck yells at her. "He just said...he...he was talking about how hot you were."

"So you got in a fight because a guy called me hot? What's wrong with you?"

"It wasn't just that. He said other things too. That I won't repeat."

"Oh. So he _was_ saying bad things about me."

"Shush. Who cares what he thinks?"

"Not me. But I'd really love an excuse to beat someone up."

He smiles and wraps an arm around her. She lays her head on his chest and closes her eyes.

"You know, this would be the perfect time for you to go back to school. I can take care of Sophia."

"I don't wanna go back without you."

"Why not? Find your man card and face it. You'll be fine. You can go back on Wednesday."

"Maybe. If we can do something fun tomorrow."

"Deal."

"Beck?"

"What?"

"Can't you just tell me what he said about me? It had something to do with me getting pregnant, didn't it?"

"Jade..."

"Tell me! I can handle it!"

"He called you a gank. And was just surprised you have a baby. That's all."

"Oh." She pauses and looks up at him. "Do a lot of people at school talk about me?"

"Yeah. In a good way."

"I doubt it."

"Does it matter? I talk about you in a good way every day."

"You don't count. Besides, it's not like I care."

"Okay. You're beautiful by the way."

"I know I am, you weird romantic sap."

"I love you."

"I tolerate you."

He has a feeling she really means _"I love you too, you're the hottest guy on the planet, and if you go to jail I'm coming too."_

**What did you think? This is one of the few chapters I've written that I actually kind of like, Lol. A jealous, protective Beck is always good, right? Thank you so much for all the reviews! This is now my most reviewed story! Please keep those coming, they make me write faster and I love feedback. Thank you to the people who review this regularly, and to the people that have never left a review, I'd love to hear from you once. **

**What would you guys like to see in the future chapters? I have lots of ideas but I'd love suggestions from you too. I'm thinking of doing a chapter with Jade's dad soon, and possible bringing in her family more. Maybe a little focus on other characters as well? Tell me what you think in your review! Thank you so much for reading this! **

_**Next Chapter: Mothers Can't Have Fun**_


	12. Mothers Can't Have Fun

**Oh my goodness. I'm so sorry for the wait on this chapter! I've been on vacation in Florida and super busy with finals! And on top of that writing another story! Summer is just about here though, so I will definitely by trying to update more frequently. Thank you for all the alerts, favorites, and reviews on this story! Can't believe how close it's getting to 100 reviews. You're amazing. Alright, done with the ranting. Let's get to it! Hope you enjoy.**

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><p><em><span>Mothers Can't Have Fun-3 Months Old- October<span>_

"Jade. Jade. Wake up."

"Get away."

"Wake up."

"Get away, idiot! I'll kick you."

"They're taking the RV."

"Get- wait, now?"

"Yeah. Thought you might wanna say goodbye to it."

"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard."

"Come on Jade. I know you'll regret it if you don't. Just get up for a few minutes, and then we can have our fun day."

"Fine. But only so you'll stop bothering me and let me go back to sleep."

"Thank you."

Jade hauls herself out of bed to find a large man hooking a pickup truck on their RV. Beck's dad is there, supervising the operation and talking to the man's much younger, much thinner wife. She looks like a total snob, and judging by the annoyed expression on Mike's face, she acts like one too. "So, how much are we paying for this thing?" She asks her husband in a high pitched, nasally tone. "I told you, five grand!" The fat man yells back at her. "Such a waste," the woman whines. "I'll never sleep in it." Jade rolls her eyes. The man walks over to Mike and hands him a check. Beck takes the opportunity to sneak one last look at their old home.

"Mind if we go inside for a minute? We just wanna make sure we got everything out."

"Hurry up, kid. My wife needs to get to her yoga class."

Beck grabs Jade hand and they go in. Of course, aside from the built in couch and bed, it's completely empty. No more posters, no more clothes, nothing. It looks big without all their stuff in it. They stand there for a moment and Jade says a heartless "Bye," in the most unenthusiastic tone possible.

"Come on Jade. This is the last time we get to see it."

"Big deal."

"Right there, sitting on that couch, you told me you loved me for the first time ever."

"Don't remind me. I'm beginning to regret that decision. Can I go back to bed now?"

"Fine. But remember, we have to do something fun today."

She mumbles a "whatever" and drags herself back into the apartment. As soon as Beck steps out of the RV, the man and woman get in the truck and drive off, pulling Beck's home of three years with him. He sighs and turns to his dad. "Can I have my check, please?"

"_Your_ check? If I recall correctly, I was the one who bought this RV."

"Dad, you told me last month that if I sold the RV, I could keep the money. Jade and I need it to pay off our new furniture."

"I told you that before I saw how immature and irresponsible you are."

"Dad, please. Are you gonna hold this over my head forever? And I wouldn't be talking, considering how you yelled at mom in front of me yesterday and let the divorce slip out. Thanks for not telling me sooner, by the way."

That gets him, and he reluctantly hands the check to Beck, then mutters something about being late to work. Beck goes back inside to find Jade is already back in bed, and Sophia is whimpering and trying to roll over in her crib. He scoops her up and tickles her tummy. "You're becoming quite the acrobat," he tells his daughter. "A couple more months and you'll be sitting up all by yourself. Daddy's not ready for that." Sophia smiles and grabs at one of his buttons.

"Be quiet," Jade mumbles, her head buried in a pillow. "I'm trying to go back to sleep. Go take the baby and have some bonding time like penguins."

/-/-/-/

Three hours later, Beck and Jade are curled up on the couch, a cheesy romantic comedy playing on their TV. Sophia is in her swing, giggling and cooing so much that Beck and Jade can't concentrate on the movie.

"This was _not_ my idea of a fun day," Jade says.

"I think it's fun. It's been forever since we had a movie day."

"I wanted to go _out _to the movies."

"We can't take a baby to a movie theater."

"Whatever. I hate this movie. It's just reminding me of school."

"Speaking of which, I called Lane and he said you're all set to go back tomorrow. And he told me that kids parents aren't going to press charges, so I think I'm out of the woods for now."

"I don't wanna go back to school."

"Jade. We're not having this conversation again."

"I hate school."

"Two months ago you told me you couldn't wait to go back!"

"Well...I changed my mind."

"You just need to get used to it again. Then you'll like it."

"Maybe I can bring Sophia with me."

"That's what you're worried about? Leaving Sophia?"

"No."

"Yeah, it is. You're gonna miss Sophia. That's so cute." He kisses her cheek and she pushes him away.

"No, I'm not. I'll be fine. I'm not gonna miss being a stay at home mom at all. And I'll be glad to have Julia take care of Sophia. Less work for me. I'm just gonna suck it up, and go to school, and it'll be just like old times."

/-/-/-/

The minute Jade walked into Sikowitz's classroom, all the students attacked her with greetings and questions. After being woken up three times last night by her daughter, she's too tired to function, let alone respond to everyone in a civil matter.

"Good to see you, Jade." Sikowitz announces in a booming voice. "And hows that cute little pumpkin of yours?"

Jade raises an eyebrow and takes her seat.

"So, my little students, before we begin our class, I have an announcement. The next Hollywood Arts kickback will be this Friday at eight. I'm sure I'll see you all there."

Jade groans.

"Are you coming, Jadey?" Cat asks.

"No! Are you kidding me? How am I supposed to get out of the house on a Friday night with a baby?"

"Oh. Yeah."

"Also," Sikowitz continues, "I'm holding auditions for our next play during class tomorrow. Rehearsals will be from six to eight every weekday." _Great. She can't do that either. _

"Today everyone is going to perform the monologue they were supposed to write for homework. We'll start with Andre. Jade, may I see you for a minute?"

Jade rolls her eyes and walks over to him. "You can yell at me now. I didn't know we were supposed to write a monologue."

"That's fine. You can write one for tomorrow. But you're missing a lot of other work for this class. In fact, you're failing."

"I've been doing all the work, and Beck's been bringing it in!"

"That's just the written work. But we've been doing a lot of performances and plays and scenes and things that you'll have to make up. You'll need to stay after school with me sometime. And I hope you're planning on auditioning for my play tomorrow. Every student needs to do at least two plays to pass my class."

"Sikowitz! I can't do plays if the rehearsal are at night!"

"Look, Jade, I know this is gonna be hard for you, but rules are rules. If you want to pass this class and graduate on time, you'll have to find someway to do it."

/-/-/-/

"Stupid. Idiotic. I hate it. I hate everything!"

"I see you had a nice day."

Jade grabs the scissors off the kitchen counter and starts ripping up a head of lettuce. "I have so much to do. I'm gonna be staying after school everyday for the rest of the year! And they're all rubbing it in my face that they can be in plays and go to the kickback and other fun events, and guess what? I can't! You know what I learned today? I learned that mothers can't have fun! Ever!" She throws down what's left of the lettuce in disgust. "Where's Sophia?"

"Taking a nap. Don't wake her up, I just..."

Jade just stomps off into the bedroom and pulls her daughter out of the crib.

"Jade! I just got her to fall asleep!"

"Whatever. I've been away from her for eight hours. That's a long time."

"I thought you weren't gonna miss her."

Sophia yawns and Jade kisses her cheek. "I didn't miss her. But she missed me."

"if you say so."

"What are we having for dinner?"

"I was going to make salad, before you smashed the lettuce."

"Oops."

Sophia starts pulling Jade's hair and she finally puts her down. "Will you write a monologue for me?" She asks, following Beck into the kitchen.

"Why?"

"For Sikowitz's class."

"Why can't you write it?"

"I'm exhausted! And I think I forgot how."

He sighs. "Fine. But just this once, okay? You gotta start doing your own work now."

"I will. By the way, I found out I'm failing three classes."

"Three?"

"Uh-huh. Maybe I should just drop out."

"No way that's happening."

"I could become an acrobat in the circus. I'm very flexible. Don't you think?"

She raises an eyebrow at him and he rolls his eyes.

"You know I'd make a good acrobat. Admit it."

"Yeah. I guess you would."

He presses his lips to hers and she smiles.

"Hmm," she says when she pulls away. "I guess mothers can have fun."

* * *

><p><strong>Ugh. I am so sorry for that. I know that chapter was insanely weird and short and boring. But I've been putting off finishing it for ages so I decided I had to just publish it. The next one will be better, I promise. I think Jade's dad might be in the next one. <strong>

**Also, I now have a new story that I co-wrote. Check it out if you haven't already. It's called "Don't Slip Up." The co-writer doesn't have her own fanfiction account, but you should follow her on twitter, she's awesome! karaquirkles. And if you haven't followed me yet, go ahead, I'm LoveLizMcGills, just ask me for a follow back. **

**Thank you for reading, once again I'm sorry for the wait and this crappy chapter. Please review. :)**


	13. Grandpa Number Two

**Thank you for all the reviews! **

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><p><em><span>Grandpa Number Two- 4 Months Old<span>_

Jade hates a lot of things. But if there's one thing she hates more than everything else on her list, it's grocery shopping. She can't stand aimlessly wandering through the aisles of a cold store, trying to find tasty things to eat that won't empty their wallets completely.

Today, it's even worse. Because she runs into someone that she hasn't seen in a long time. A very long time.

"Dad?" She nearly drops the bag of frozen green beans she's holding.

"Jade? Wow." The middle aged man, dressed in a suit and tie, is holding a shopping basket full of wine, chocolate, and coffee.

"Why wow?" She asks defensively.

"I just haven't seen you in...months."

"Who's fault is that?"

He clears his throat awkwardly. "So...um...how are you?"

"Fine."

"You going to school?" He looks down at his phone and starts typing, obviously trying to avoid eye contact.

"Yeah. I went back last week."

"Wheres Sophia?"

"At home with Beck's mom. How do you know her name?" Jade raises an eyebrow. She hadn't had any contact with the man since she was five months pregnant.

"Your mother's been sending me pictures and stuff."

Jade groans. When did she ever give her permission to do that?

"How old is she now? Like two months?"

"Four. She just turned four months old yesterday."

"Wow."

"Yeah. Wow. Now, if you don't mind, I'm gonna get back to my grocery shopping. My boyfriend's at work so I have to go home and pick up Sophia." She pushes past him but he follows her.

"Wait. Jade?"

"What?"

"If it's okay with you, I was thinking about maybe coming to see Sophia sometime. I've been trying to call you about it for a while but your number isn't working."

"Let me think about it. No."

"No?"

"Yes. No."

"Why not?"

"You told me you didn't want to be a part of my life anymore."

"I know but...but that was a while ago. You just told me you were pregnant. I was upset. I didn't know what to do."

"Yeah...well. Whatever."

"Jade! Will you at lest give me your new number? And think about it?"

She sighs. "Hold out your hand."

He looks around nervously but does it, and she scribbles her phone number on his hand.

"Thanks. Bye, Jade."

"Bye."

/-/-/-/

When Jade walks in the door of Julia's house, all she can hear is Sophia giggling. She walks into the living room to find Julia playing peek-a-boo with her, and apparently she thinks it's the funniest thing in the world. "Look, mama's home!" Julia says. Sophia giggles again.

"She's been swinging in this swing all day," Julia says. "She loves it."

Jade unbuckles Sophia and scoops her up. She's wearing a head band with a giant white flower. "Thanks, Julia." She says expressionlessly. She puts her daughter on her hip and tells her to say bye.

"Bye, sweetie!" Julia says. Sophia just giggles again.

"How was your day, Soph?" Jade asks as she walks back into the apartment. "I don't know if you care about mine, but it was awful. I got loaded with homework and had to do a love scene with Tori. I was the boyfriend."

Sophia blinks up at Jade. "And now daddy's at work so I have to clean and cook and do everything all by myself. While he stares at girls in bikinis. What do you think about that, huh?"

The infant just yawns and rests her head on Jade's side. Unfortunately for her, Jade has to put her in her new high chair in order to get all her homework done. Sophia bangs on the tray and cries for a while but she finally calms down enough for Jade to focus on her theater history report.

Beck comes in three hours later, just as Jade is flipping chocolate chip pancakes. "Hey babe. Happy Friday," he says, throwing down his keys and backpack. "You're cooking?"

"Yep."

"You're awesome."

"Obviously."

Sophia starts yelling and banging on the tray again as if telling him to notice her. He kneels down and kisses her head and she grabs onto one of his necklaces. "Hi, other babe. Don't choke me." He scoops her up and puts her in her swing, and she looks like she'll fall asleep any minute.

Beck piles his plate with five chocolate chip pancakes while Jade tells him he's going to get fat, and then they both sit down at the table. "Did you get your homework done?"

"Yep."

"Good."

"How was work?"

"Interesting. A girl fell in the pool and I had to rescue her. Guess I saved her life. No big deal."

"Was she hot?"

"She was five."

"Oh." She picks at her pancake. "Guess who I saw at the store."

"George Bush?"

"No."

"Madonna?"

"Nope."

"Uh...the Pope?"

"No."

"Okay. I give up."

"My dad. I saw my dad. He was getting all this wine and crap. Probably for him and his new wife." She shudders when she says it.

"Oh yeah? What'd he say?" He's talking through a mouthful of pancake. She rolls her eyes. "He said he's been trying to call me. Apparently my mom's been sending him pictures of Sophia. He wants to see her."

"Ha! Yeah right. Did you tell him there's no way that's happening?"

"I...I gave him my new number and said I'd think about it."

"What? Why?"

"I don't know! To get him to quit bugging me in the middle of the store?"

"Oh. Well, I hope he doesn't try to call you."

"Why are you so mad?"

"Because! That man broke your heart. I'm not gonna get him involved in my daughter's life."

"He didn't break my heart!" Jade stands up defensively and he gently sits her back down. "I'm just saying that I've seen you upset many times when he said he would come to one of your plays or something and didn't. And on top of that, he practically disowned you when he found out you were pregnant."

"Well...maybe he's changing now."

"Yeah, right."

"Wow! For some reason I was half expecting you to encourage me to let him see her! And then I would say, no, I hate my dad! But since you're being so weird and stubborn about this, maybe I will have him over!"

"Come on, Jade. You know you wouldn't do that."

/-/-/-/

"My dad's coming over for coffee at ten," she says to Beck with a smirk the next morning. He widens his eyes. "You're lying."

"Nope. Just got off the phone with him."

He shakes his head and opens his mouth, but nothing comes out. He just starts buttoning up his flannel shirt with a sigh. "You are something, Jade West."

"Yep. Now go give Sophia a bath."

"Umm...why can't you?"

"I'm gonna go make coffee and stuff!"

"Why are you even doing this?" He asks, taking Sophia from her.

"A lot of reasons."

/-/-/-/

There's a knock on the door at 10:17. He's late, but at least he bothered showing up. Jade yells at Beck, who's getting Sophia dressed, to hurry up, and opens the door. This time her dad is wearing sweats, but they probably cost two hundred dollars. He waves awkwardly. "Thanks for having me."

"Come in." She responds dully. "How do you like your coffee?"

"Black. Two sugars."

_Hmm. Now that's ironic. _She starts making two cups, leaving Beck to fend for himself, and tells her dad to sit down on the couch.

"This is...uh...a nice place."

"Thanks. We moved out of the RV last month. It was getting too crowded with a baby."

"I see."

They sit there awkwardly for a minute and then Jade yells for Beck. "Beck! What are you doing?"

"Doing her hair!"

"She barely has any hair! What is there to do with it?"

"I'm putting one of those little bows in it."

"Just get in here!"

He finally enters, holding Sophia on his hip. She's wearing a little white sundress and a tiny pink bow is holding the hair out of her face. She looks at Jade and holds her arms out. The young mother sighs and takes her from Beck, sitting her on her lap. "Babe, can you make her a bottle?" Beck nods and walks over to the kitchen, shooting a glare at Jade's father.

"So...this is Sophia. Sophia, this is your Grandpa Ethan."

He nods and keeps starting at the blue eyed baby. "My first grandchild."

"Yep. Guess so."

"She's cute."

"I know. She gets her looks from me, as you can see."

"So...umm..."

"Yeah."

Luckily, Beck comes in with the bottle and hands it to Jade, interrupting the awkward silence. Sophia immediately lays back on Jade and starts eating eagerly. It doesn't take long for her to spit up all over Jade. She groans and goes to change her shirt, taking the infant with her. And leaving Beck alone with her father.

He tries to ignore the man at first, busying himself by making a cup of coffee. But finally Ethan breaks the silence.

"So. How does it feel being a father?" He asks.

"Good," Is Beck's simple reply. _Not that you would know_, he's thinking.

"I'm surprised you and Jade stayed together, to be honest."

Beck clenches his teeth.

"You think you're gonna marry her?"

This catches the eighteen year old completely off guard. He runs his hands through his hair. "I...I don't know. We're still in high school right?"

"Yeah. I guess. I'm just asking about your future."

"I mean...yeah. Yeah I guess we'll get married once we graduate. Maybe."

"Good. It'll be nice for your daughter to have married parents."

"Well, at least she has two parents," Beck says.

"You know, Jade's mother and I didn't get divorced until she was eight."

"Okay. That doesn't mean being a part of her life up until she was a third grader counts. And, if I'm correct, her brother was only a newborn then."

"Noah stays with me every other weekend, for your information." Jade's dad sits up a little straighter.

"Why didn't Jade?" He counters.

"She never wanted to!" The man is raising his voice now, and Beck leans back casually and takes a long sip of coffee.

"All I'm saying, is don't tell me how to parent my child when you barely parented yours."

"Young man, when did I ever tell you how to parent your child?"

"You told me I have to marry Jade."

"That's a lie. I never told you that. I just wanted to get involved. I was just curious."

"Why do you suddenly want to get involved now, huh? Because it's making me a little suspicious."

"Who do you think you are anyways?" Ethan stands up and Beck follows.

"I think I'm your daughter's boyfriend and your granddaughter's father. And I want you out of my house."

"Fine then. I'm leaving."

"Bye."

"Bye."

Jade comes back in just as her dad is brushing past her, slamming the cup of coffee down on the kitchen table on the way out. Sophia is looking at the man in confusion. The door slams and Sophia's lip quivers, her eyes close, and she starts sobbing. Jade hands her to Beck and he rocks her back and forth. "It's okay, baby. It was just the door." He kisses her over and over again and eventually she stops, clinging onto his denim jacket.

"Where is he going?" Jade asks.

"I told him to leave." Beck pats Sophia's back.

"What? Why?"

"He was being a jerk."

"Beck!"

"What?" Sophia grabs his hair and he pulls her hand away and playfully nibbles on it. "No. We do not touch daddy's hair. Ever." She giggles.

"Why would you do that? It was going good!"

"He was trying to tell me that I needed to marry you so Sophia could have a better life."

"Beck...you know my dad. He's... opinionated. Why would you kick him out? You're not in charge here."

"I don't care. I don't want that man trying to get involved in Soph's life."

"You're unbelievable. I'm getting tired of this protective father stage."

Beck shrugs. "I wouldn't consider it a _stage_."

"You better not be like this for the rest of your life."

"I won't be. Just til Sophia is thirty."

She groans and then looks at him with an odd mix of emotions in her eyes.

"You know...I actually thought my dad and I might get somewhere today. Thanks, Beck. For ruining my chance."

Then she takes her daughter from him and goes back to the bedroom, where she slams the door.

"Babe!" He calls after her, but she doesn't reply. He runs his hands through his hair in frustration. Then he follows her into the room. She's lying on the bed, Sophia in her crib. He sits down and rubs her back.

"Neither of us have had much luck with our dads. Have we?"

"Nope."

"I just want to make sure Sophia doesn't have a grandfather in her life that's going to abandon her like he abandoned you."

"I know. But I want to believe he really wants to get involved now." She turns over so she's lying on her back and looks up at him.

"I know. Maybe someday he will."

"Did your dad talk to you anymore about the divorce?"

"Yeah. He's moving out in a couple of weeks." Beck bites his lip and falls back and the bed with her.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay. He won't move far. I'll still see him."

"That's good."

He nods.

"I hope I'm a better dad than our dads."

"You are."

"I hope we do get married someday."

"We will, you freak show."

"Okay. Good. Consider this our unofficial engagement."

She sticks out her hand and he shakes it, confused. "Deal," Jade says.

"Deal."

Then she stands up with a deep sigh. "I'm gonna call my dad and apologize."

"For what?" He asks, propping himself up on the bed.

"For your idiocy! If my dad wants to visit Sophia every so often, he can."

Beck groans but doesn't argue. Chances are, Ethan will just change his mind again anyways.

"Maybe people can change, Beck."

He shrugs.

"And I'm talking about your dad too. Just cuz he's divorcing your mom doesn't mean you should stop speaking to him."

Beck bites his lip. Maybe Jade is more sentimental than he thought.

* * *

><p><strong>In the next chapter we're going to see more of Beck's dad. What other characters do you want to see more? I tried to update faster this time. I know I've been focusing a lot on my other story, Don't Slip Up, which has a way different dynamic than this one. But I'll still be writing this one! Hopefully I'll be able to focus on this more when Don't Slip Up winds down. <strong>

**Now lets see if I can get 100 reviews! **


	14. Engagements, Divorce, and Baby Cereal

**Hi! Sorry I haven't updated. Don't Slip Up is taking over my fanfiction life. Oh and THANK YOU SO MUCH for getting me over 100 reviews and over 11,000 hits! That's awesome. Anyways...here's chapter fourteen! With some big milestones for everyone. Hope you enjoy!**

**Okay, I've published and deleted this chapter a lot because it's not sending out alerts. Normally when I update one of my stories I get an email, but now it's not working. I'm not sure if it's just me that's not getting the email, or all my readers as well. I really hope it works this time! **

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><p><em><span>Engagements, Divorce, and Baby Cereal- (4 Months Old)<span>_

"Beck! Beck! Jade! Wake up! Oh my gosh! You won't believe it!"

Beck shoots up in bed, convinced there's a fire or burglar, and Jade yawns lazily and sits up more slowly. Standing in their doorway is Julia, in her pink bathrobe, phone in hand.

"What's wrong?" Beck asks. Jade looks from him, to Julia, to the clock which says 6am in confusion.

"Nothing's wrong!" She says with a huge smile. She waves the phone in their faces. "That was your sister, Beck. Andrew proposed!"

"He did?"

"Yes! She's engaged! My baby's engaged!"

Jade groans.

"Why did she call so early?"

"She's still in France, silly goose! It's three in the afternoon over there. She just couldn't wait any longer to tell me."

"Does dad know?"

"Yeah, I just told him." She replies, less enthusiastically.

"Well...that's great, mom. I'm really happy for her. I'll have to call her later."

Jade nods and plops back down on her pillow, but apparently Julia isn't done yet. "Wait! There's even better news!"

The raven haired girl sits up again with an audible groan. Julia is practically jumping up and down. "Your sister's twenty third birthday is in a few weeks, and she's coming here to celebrate it! With her fiancé! I get to see my baby girl for the first time in eight months!"

Beck smiles. "Wow. That's awesome, mom. We'll have to all get together sometime. Maybe we can do dinner here one night."

"She'd love that!" She pauses and turns to Jade. "Are you excited? You'll finally get to meet Genevieve!"

Jade nods. "Yeah. That's great. Do you think I can express my excitement after I sleep on it for a few more hours?"

Julia nods. "Sure," she says softly. Then Jade notices how the woman is looking at her awkwardly, and she realizes she's not wearing a shirt. Damn. She was hot last night and took it off. She dives back under the covers, her face turning red, and Julia smiles a little before she turns to leave. "It's okay. Oh, Beck? Your father wants you to help him clear out the shed today. He needs to start getting his stuff out of there." Beck nods. "Okay, mom. Tell him I'll do it in a couple hours." Julia nods and with one last joyful squeal, bounces away, not even bothering to close their bedroom door before leaving the apartment.

"Ugh," Jade mumbles into her pillow. "I can't believe your mother just saw me topless."

"Well," he replies, tickling her back, "She _is_ your unofficial soon to be mother-in-law now."

"Just don't tell her that. She'll be so happy she'll have a stroke."

Jade smiles and he kisses her cheek.

/-/-/-/

Three hours later, Beck is starting at a shed packed with so much stuff things tumble out when you open the door. "How long do you think this will take? Cuz Jade and I were gonna take Sophia to the park today."

"Should only be a couple hours," his dad says expressionlessly. He starts throwing stuff out onto the grass. "Most of this crap is your mother's anyways."

"You mean like the crap she used to landscape this whole yard for you?" Beck snaps.

"Cut the attitude."

Beck rolls his eyes and throws a broken flower pot in the garbage can. It may be nine in the morning, but there's already sweat dripping down his forehead, and the heavy work gloves aren't helping. He just wants to get this done as soon as possible so he can go spend time with his family. His new family. His real family. Not his dad.

He pulls out a stone and blows the dust off of it as a smile creeps onto his face. He remembers this. They made it for his mom for her birthday one year. On the stone there are two hand prints, both tiny. One says "Genevieve, 8 years old." The other, "Beck, 3 years old." He hands it to his dad. "You better let mom keep this." The man nods and examines the stone for a minute before setting it down in the garden.

Over the next hour, they fill four garbage cans with broken tools and furniture, empty boxes, dead potted plants, overused toys, melted candles, outdated artwork, ripped garden gloves, old Christmas decorations, and dozens of other miscellaneous things that shouldn't even _be_ in a shed. So far the only thing they've even packed for Beck's father to take is some fishing gear. Beck pulls a small red fishing pole out of the pile with a chuckle.

"This was mine." He twirls it around in his hand. "This was mine when I was what? Five?"

"Maybe younger," His dad replies. "I think you started fishing before you could talk."

Beck's smile fades. "When did we stop fishing?"

"I don't know. It's been at least a year. Jade got pregnant. You had to focus on her and your new baby. No time for fishing, I guess."

Beck sighs, thinking of what Jade told him last night, after he had rudely kicked her dad out of the apartment. "Maybe we can go again sometime. You know, when you get settled into your new house and everything."

"That would be nice." His dad bites his lips and looks like he wants to say something more, but then he shakes his head and gets back to work, throwing a box out of the shed. "I think that's gardening stuff. Your mom will want that."

He nods and moves the box to the "Julia Side." Then he turns back to Mike. "You know, we stopped doing a lot of things when Jade got pregnant." His dad shrugs. "It changed a lot of things around here. It affected all of us."

Beck opens his mouth and shuts it again.

"What?" His dad asks.

He sits down on the stone fence and runs his hands through his sweaty hair. Then he decides to ask the question that's been on his mind for ages. He sits up and looks his dad in the eye. "Did Jade and Sophia have anything to do with this divorce?"

Mike exhales deeply and plops down next to Beck. He starts talking slowly and carefully. "I won't say that your mom and I didn't fight more after you had the baby," he begins. "But I think this would have happened eventually either way. We've had a good twenty five years together, but we can't make it last any longer. We need to do our own thing now. You know?" Beck nods. "Yeah. I think so."

"Whatever you do, don't blame yourself. Or your family."

Beck nods. Maybe Jade is right about his dad. Maybe. But Beck still isn't convinced that his father and him will ever have the same relationship again.

/-/-/-/

Beck walks into their living room two hours later, just wanting a cool shower and a freshly made sandwich. Sophia is lying on her tummy on a big blue blanket, shaking a rattle and babbling loudly. She's wearing pink sweat pants, a white sparkly tank top, and a pink headband with a giant bow. Beck chuckles at her outfit, the exact opposite of what Jade would want her to wear. Unfortunately for her, Julia had filled Sophia's wardrobe with so many girly clothes, Jade barely had a choice anymore.

"Hi, munchkin." Beck says. Sophia squeals and puts the rattle in her mouth.

"Well, took you long enough," Jade says from the couch, where she's reading a book with a bloody knife on the cover.

"Sorry. You still wanna go to the park? It's only twelve thirty. We can pack a picnic lunch."

"A picnic lunch? Sounds like that would involve work."

"Not really."

"Are you going to make it?" She raises and eyebrow.

"Well, I have to go take a shower. But I can help after I'm done."

She snorts. "Yeah, right. You'll spend an hour fiddling with your hair and leave me to make the whole lunch. Besides, it's getting really hot outside. I vote no picnic."

"What do you vote, Sophia?"

She looks up at Beck with a smile. "Goo!"

Jade stands up and puts her book down. "I have an idea."

"Should I call the police?"

"No! This is a good idea. Involving Sophia."

"You're not touching my baby."

"Beck! I'm serious. It's a good idea. We're going to feed her solid food. For the first time ever." Her eyes widen for dramatic effect and an excited smile creeps onto her face.

"Can we?"

"Sure! According to the parenting book I just purchased, you can start feeding solid food at four to six months. I bought some baby cereal the other day at the grocery store. She's hungry right now, so maybe she'll eat it."

"Well. Okay. That's not such a bad idea. Wait. You bought a _parenting_ book?"

"Never mind. Just make the cereal."

"Why should I?"

"Because I said so. Just add a tiny bit of cereal. We need her to get used to it."

"Okay."

"And warm it up."

"Yes ma'am."

Jade goes over to Sophia and scoops her up. "Let's go sit in your high chair." The infant drops her rattle and starts to scream and cry at the top of her lungs. Jade straps her into her high chair and gives her the toy again. How did she end up having a child with such a bad temper?

"It's ready!" Beck says. He brings over the bowl of baby cereal, which is really mostly milk and formula, and sets it on the high chair tray. "Sophia, do you want some yummy food?" He asks in an annoyingly high pitched voice. Sophia purses her lips and looks at the bowl, unimpressed. Beck picks up a spoonful of the cereal and presses it to her lips. She just stares at him.

"Open wide Sophia! It's so yummy!"

Sophia pushes the spoon away with her hand, spilling it on Beck's shirt. Beck shrugs and looks at Jade. "She doesn't want it." She rolls her eyes and grabs the spoon, piling it full of the baby cereal. "Don't just give up, you wimp!"

Jade forcibly opens Sophia's mouth with one hand and shoves the spoon in with the other. Sophia closes her eyes and makes a sour face, but then slowly swallows the cereal.

"I don't think she likes it," Beck says, shaking his head. "She's not ready to have solid food yet. Let's stick to bottles."

"Shut up. She loves it."

Sophia opens her mouth for more and Jade ends up feeding her the whole bowl, her face covered in it. Jade smirks and orders Beck to clean her face up. He does, pouting the whole time. Then he goes over and sits on the couch, crossing his arms. Jade picks Sophia up and sits down next to him.

"Who died?" Sophia is trying to stand on Jade's lap, and keeps kicking her legs and trying to push away from her.

"She can't just eat all that. She's too young."

"No, she's not. The book said four months is an okay age, as long as she's doing good holding her head up."

"But..."

"If you kick me one more time I will tie your little legs together, Sophia."

"Jade. We should wait a while."

Jade blinks at Beck a few times and then finally seems to understand what he's saying. She stands up with an overly emotional smile. "Oh! Poor Beck! He's sad that his little girl is growing up!"

"No, it's not that."

"Poor Beck! His baby is old enough to have food now and it's killing him." She puts a hand over her heart.

He rolls his eyes but smiles and takes Sophia from Jade. She blows bubbles at him and grabs one of his hands with two of her tiny ones. "It just seems like yesterday that she was born, okay? I'm not ready yet."

"Beck, she tried baby cereal. She didn't graduate."

"I guess so." He sighs and kisses Sophia's head. "I'm gonna go rock her to sleep and put her down for her nap," he says before leaving the room.

"How on earth did I get stuck with such a sentimental dork for a boyfriend?"

"I heard that!" He calls.

"You were supposed to."

/-/-/-/

Two hours later, when Beck is showered and Sophia is fast asleep, the couple is cuddling on the couch, munching on popcorn.

"So..." Beck says through a mouthful of popcorn, "We should make dinner one night when my sister and her fiancé come visit."

"Ugh. Cooking?"

He pinches her nose. "It'll be fun!"

"Almost as much fun as getting each of my toenails ripped off one by one."

Beck rolls his eyes.

"Hey. How will your mom and dad have dinner with us? You know, in the same room?"

He shrugs. He hadn't really thought about that. Hopefully they'd be able to make it work for Genevieve.

"What is she like anyways?"

"Nice. Bubbly. Smart."

"Ugh."

"I think you'll get along with her. Or at least tolerate her."

"Maybe."

He pulls her close and kisses her hair, savoring this alone time that they rarely get now.

"Hi guys!"

Jade chucks a pillow across the room at the sound of Julia's voice. The middle aged woman just smiles and waves. "I'm leaving and I probably won't be back til late, okay?"

"Why are you all dressed up?" Beck asks, looking at her dark purple blouse and sleek black skirt.

"Don't you remember? We're going to court today."

Beck's heart sinks. He forgot. They're finalizing the divorce today. "Oh." He says grimly. "Good luck."

She offers a sympathetic smile. "Thank you. See you later, sweetie."

"Bye." She leaves and Beck pushes the bowl of popcorn away. Jade raises an eyebrow.

"Why are you so pouty today?"

"Maybe cuz tomorrow my parents won't be married anymore."

"If I got through it when I was eight, you can get through it when you're eighteen. Man up."

He just shakes his head and fiddles with the remote.

"Oh crap. You're not gonna cry, are you?"

This brings a little smile to his face and he pokes her side. "No, I'm not gonna _cry _you wacko."

"Good. Cuz I would have walked out."

"Thanks for your support."

/-/-/-/

"Beck?" Jade says gingerly that night.

"Hmm?"

"I made you this." She hands him a plate, and on it is a chocolate cake. The words "Sorry Beck" are sloppily piped on in vanilla frosting. "I just...made it. To say sorry for your parents and for me not being very...sensitive to the whole situation."

He laughs. Jade's super cute sensitive side would come out at the most random times, and he was usually the only one who got to see it. "Babe, this is the cutest thing ever. Thank you." He kisses her cheeks and takes a dab of frosting on his finger.

"Don't get too excited. It's just a cake mix from a box. And frosting from a can. And it's not meant to be _cute_."

"Okay. I still love it though. You're adorable."

She stomps her foot loudly and sticks out her lip. "I hate you! Don't say I'm adorable! I'm not!"

He holds his hands up in surrender and she's expecting him to apologize, but instead he takes some of the frosting and wipes it all over her face with a smirk. "_Now _you're adorable."

By the time she gets her hands on the cake, it's too crushed and broken to eat, and both of them have cake all over them.

"Good practice for our wedding day," Beck says with a smile.

"Are we _really_ engaged?" She asks him innocently.

"Well...we will be. Someday. When I can afford to buy you a ring."

She rips a thread off Sophia's blanket and tells him to tie it on her finger.

"Why?" He asks.

"This will be my ring. At least for now."

Beck chuckles and ties the thread on her ring finger. He doesn't care what she says. Jade West is beyond adorable.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay...I don't even know if Beck and Jade are engaged or not. I mean...officially they're not, right? I'll do a chapter someday where he actually gets down on one knee and proposes. But for now I think this is cute. <strong>

**I've been reading all of your suggestions...so next chapter will have Beck's sister. And we will see more of Jade's family soon too. **

**Also, I don't know if you noticed, but I changed my name from BeckandJadeForever to LoveLizMcGills. Just because that's my twitter name so it makes it easier, plus the old name was extremely unoriginal. Don't judge. ;)**

**So that's all the ranting, sorry! Please leave me a review and keep those suggestions coming. And I'd like to say thank you to the people who have left multiple reviews! Thanks for sticking with this story. :)**


	15. Meeting the Family

**Thank you again everyone for your reviews! I'm not so sure about this chapter but I had the idea in my head for a while so why not?**

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><p><em>Meeting the Family- 4 12 Months Old_

"Oliver, we have a problem." Jade says in a matter of fact voice on an average Thursday evening. He plops down next to her, a giant sandwich in his hand. "What?" He lazily picks up some lettuce, which is falling all over the couch, and munches on it. "Hmm. Kinda plain tasting. And why did you call me Oliver?"

She shrugs. "I dunno. Sounded more official than Beck. But I'm serious. We have a problem."

"Alright, tell me." He leans back and gets comfortable, prepared to listen to a fifteen minute speech on why the earth can't really be round.

"Our daughter is going to be a loser."

He blinks at her slowly then shrugs. "Okay. Whatever you say Jade. You're always right."

"This is serious!" She yells, punching him in the arm and nearly making his sandwich go flying. "Sophia has no friends!"

Beck pinches the bridge of his nose, exasperated. "She's four months old! She can't talk. She can't even crawl? What is she going to do with friends?"

"It may not be a problem _now_, but in a few months she'll be ready to socialize! She has no one her own age!"

"We don't have any friends with babies."

"What a selfish excuse, Beck Oliver. Our daughter will have no one to come to her first birthday party and you don't even care."

"Her first...her first birthday party? That's eight months from now!"

"She can't just have adults for friends her whole life!"

"Can I just eat my sandwich in peace?"

"Fine! Eat your stupid sandwich while I try and device a plan to prevent Sophia from having terrible social anxiety and severe emotional problems when she's older!"

"Okay. While you're doing that you can also figure out what we're going to serve my family for dinner tomorrow."

Jade stops in her tracks and her eyes widen. "No."

"Yes. I just talked to my mom. My sister, her fiance, and my grandparents are coming over tomorrow. None of whom you have met so...it has to be an edible dinner."

"Why tomorrow? Your dad's moving out this weekend!"

"I don't get it either but...that's what they want to do."

"Argh. What time?"

"Six. But I told them we'd eat around six thirty."

"So I just have to sit and socialize with them for a half an hour?"

"Unless you cook."

She pauses and bites her lip, looking like she's thinking about something. Than she gives a little triumphant nod. "I'll do it." He raises an eyebrow. "I will cook dinner for your family."

"Well...why?"

She groans, like the answer should be obvious. "First of all, I'm not gonna sit around talking to them while_ you_ cook. Secondly, I'm trying to become a _better _cook so I don't have to eat burnt food all the time. And third...I just want to, okay? I _can_ cook."

"Well...alright."

"Bye."

"Where you going?"

"To look up good recipes that will make your family realize what a perfect, amazing, talented, beautiful person I am."

/-/-/-/

Five o'clock. She has exactly an hour before they come over. Nothing is cooked, the house is an absolute mess, and Sophia will not shut her face. To make matters worse, Beck is at the grocery store getting ingredients for her salad, so she's alone do to everything until he comes back.

"Sophia." Jade is bouncing the infant up and down but the crying will not stop. "I already gave you a bottle." She cries louder and Jade is tempted to stick her in her crib and let her cry herself to sleep, but she decides not to be that cruel. Besides, with Sophia's temper, she'd probably just scream til someone got her out. "You still hungry? I wish you could just talk to me and tell me." Jade groans and, balancing the baby on one hip, gets out some pureed carrots in a jar. Ever since they fed her that baby cereal, she's been eating like an absolute pig. "You were _supposed _to wait til everyone got here to have your dinner," she complains, sticking the wailing baby in her high chair. She cries until the second Jade puts the spoon in her mouth, and then she's instantly happy.

Jade sits there for fifteen minutes, slowly feeding the baby, then wiping her face with the bib, then feeding her more, until she is finally full. She throws a rattle and mirror on the high chair tray and Sophia is content to play there while Jade figures out how to make homemade dinner rolls.

Beck finally walks in the door at about five thirty, throwing down the shopping bags and scooping up Sophia like he hasn't seen her in days. She kicks her legs and giggles. "Look at you, you big girl! Did mama give you dinner already?"

"Ugh. Yes. The little goblin wouldn't shut up."

"Goblin?"

"Just take her in the other room and put some nice clothes on her. I'm cooking the chicken now."

"Okay. Have fun. Poor Mr. Chicken."

"Don't be weird."

It takes Jade a while, but she finally figures out to prepare the chicken. She makes the salad and smiles to herself when the dinner rolls come out perfectly. His family is going to be super impressed.

Fortunately for her, Julia is the first to arrive, holding a bottle of fancy looking wine. She smiles at Jade. "You look pretty today, sweetie. And those rolls smell delicious."

"Thanks." Jade says. "Where's Mike?"

"Uh, I think he's coming later. He had to work late. Again."

"Oh."

"Genevieve and Andrew's plane landed about an hour ago. So they should be here any minute. They're staying at my house."

Beck comes through the door holding Sophia, who's wearing a pink headband with giant pink flowers, and a pink dress to match. Sophia squeals when she sees Julia and holds out her arms. Julia lifts her up with a smile. "Hi, my beautiful baby!" Then the doorbell rings and Julia runs over to her living room to answer it. She comes back a few minutes later with Beck's grandparents. Jade has never met them, but they apparently visited Sophia once when Jade wasn't home.

"Oh my goodness! She's getting so big!" Beck's grandma, who has short, puffy blond hair, takes Sophia from Julia and plants kisses all over her face and head. Sophia just stares at her, wondering if she should cry about this or not. Then the older woman passes her off to her husband and holds out her hand to Jade.

"Hi! You must be Jade. I'm Anna, Julia's mother." Jade shakes her hand. Yep, she's definitely on Julia's side of the family. Before Jade can respond, Sophia bursts into tears. "I didn't do anything, I swear." Beck laughs at his grandpa and takes Sophia, rocking her back and forth gently. His grandfather takes a turn shaking Jade's hand. "I'm Robert. Not Bob. Robert. Or Rob." Jade shakes his hand and returns his smile. Maybe his grandparents aren't so bad. Yet.

"Ahhhh!" Jade freezes when she hears a young woman screaming, and turns to find a dark haired girl scrambling into the room. She throws her arms around Julia. "Mom! I missed you so much!" They embrace for a full thirty seconds while Beck hands Sophia to Jade. Then she literally jumps into his arms and buries her head in his neck. She starts kissing his cheeks and Jade actually has to remind herself that it's okay because she's her sister.

In all the commotion she notices that a tall, blonde haired man has also entered the room, holding some sort of dessert. He gives Julia a hug and sets the dessert down on the table.

Genevieve finally breaks her hug with Beck and turns to Jade. "Oh my gosh! You must be Jade! You're even prettier in person!" She wraps her in a hug, nearly squishing Sophia. "Oh...my niece! My beautiful little niece." Gently, she takes Sophia from Jade and holds her up, taking a long look at her and then kissing her. "Hi Sophia. I'm your aunt!" Sophia smiles at Genevieve as if she's known her forever.

Now that she's stopped hugging everyone, Jade can finally get a good look at Beck's sister. She's almost like a younger version of Julia. Her black hair is in a casual side braid. She has big green eyes and prefect tan skin, the same shade as Beck's. To be honest, she looks like she could be a model. Her fiance was pretty attractive too. Blue eyes, dark blonde hair. Tall and muscular.

"Where's dad?" Genevieve asked. "Work." Julia replied. Genevieve gives a sad, understanding nod, bouncing Sophia up and down gently. "What a beautiful baby girl you are!"

They all sit down around Beck and Jade's tiny table, which makes for a tight squeeze. Jade serves them all salad while Julia pours wine. She refuses to give Beck and Jade any though, which makes Jade groan.

"So, Genevieve. Tell us everything," Anna says. "Start with the part where you moved to France. Jade hasn't heard your story yet."

Genevieve smiles and takes a sip of wine. "Well, it's nothing exciting, really. I graduated last year and decided to travel the world before I looked for work as a teacher. But then when I went to France, planning on just staying for a month, I ended up finding a job there. So for the past year, I've been teaching English to French kids."

There are some oohs and ahhs around the table, even though Jade is sure she's the only one who's hearing this for the first time. "So, you're fluent in French?"

"Mhmm!"

Jade nods. "Cool."

"Now, Andrew, I don't believe we've heard what you do." Anna says.

"Well, I want to be a chef, so I moved to France to study culinary arts there. I just graduated. Genevieve and I are hoping to move back to here after we get married. I want to open a French themed restaurant."

Julia claps her hands together. "That's amazing! You know, there are so many Italian and Mexican and Chinese places, but a French restaurant is something you don't see as often."

Jade sighs. "How long have you guys been dating?"

"He proposed on our one year anniversary."

Beck's grandparents go on and on about how romantic that is. Then Genevieve asks how long Beck and Jade have been dating.

"Three years and five months." Jade responds with a triumphant look. "And we're going to get married too. Someday." Beck raises an eyebrow at her and she sticks her tongue out at him.

"I'm sure you will. So, tell us all about yourself, Jade. Are you going to college?" Genevieve asks.

"Nope."

Anna makes a face but then smiles again. "Well, it will be nice for you to be a stay at home mom. Best for the baby."

"I'm not doing _that_." Jade says it as if Anna was suggesting she become a garbage man. "Staying home with a baby? Worst thing in the world."

Genevieve frowns. "But Sophia is so cute! Who wouldn't want to spend time with her?"

Beck clears his throat. "Jade wants to be an actor, so...she just means that she can't be a stay at home mom. Right, Jade?"

She rolls her eyes. "And I don't _want_ to."

"Why don't you check on the chicken, babe?" He raises an eyebrow and she groans but does it anyways.

She opens the oven to find...a mostly raw chicken. Her eyes widen. Crap! It's been cooking for almost an hour!

"Uh...Beck?" She asks. "Can you come over here?"

"What's wrong?" He walks over to her and peeks in the oven. "Oh. That's what's wrong."

"I don't know what I did wrong!" She says in a whisper, trying not to let his family know that the chicken isn't even close to being done.

"The oven is at 180 degrees."

"Yeah! That's what the website I went on said to cook it at."

"Babe...was that Celsius, or Fahrenheit?"

"I don't know! Does it matter?"

He rolls his eyes. "I think you were supposed to set the oven at 350."

"Oh. Oops."

"Yeah. Oops."

"Well, I'll just turn it up then."

"It's too late now! We're hungry. We're not gonna wait another hour for the chicken to be done."

Jade sighs. All she wanted to do was make a nice dinner. Nothing goes right for her. Ever.

"Is everything okay?" Julia asks from the kitchen table. Sophia starts banging on her high chair tray and screaming.

"Yeah, we're hungry!" Robert says with an amused smile.

"Well..." Jade bites her lip. "I accidentally set the oven temperature a few degrees too low, and the chicken isn't done."

"A few?" Andrew says, squinting to read the temperature. "It's at one eighty!" He starts to laugh. "When have you ever heard of anything that bakes at one eighty?"

"Well, I...I didn't know!" She snaps, getting defensive. "I'm not a gourmet chef like you!"

"You don't have to be a chef to know that," he says, smiling.

"It's not a big deal, okay? I'll just go in Beck's parent's kitchen, and get some pasta. I'll make that."

"Honey, we're starving." Julia said.

"Yeah, and I don't know if we can trust you to make pasta right either." Robert adds.

"I can order a pizza," Andrew volunteers.

"A...a pizza? A _pizza_?" Jade hands fly all over as she speaks. "What, just because I set the oven wrong you think I can't boil water correctly? Of course I can! I cook for my family all the time!"

"Honey," Julia says, "We're just joking around with you. And anyway, ordering a pizza will be less work for..."

Jade just storms out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Beck sighs. This went well.

"I'm sorry," Andrew says. "I didn't mean to hurt her feelings. I was just having fun."

"She's just a little...over dramatic sometimes. And I think she wanted to impress you guys. I'm gonna go talk to her, okay? Go ahead and order some food."

Beck walks cautiously into the bedroom to discover that Jade is no where to be found. He opens the bathroom door, not bothering to knock. She's sitting on the floor, hugging her knees to her chest.

Crying.

For a minute he doesn't know what to do, since she rarely cries, but then he quickly sits down next to her and wraps an arm around her. "What's wrong, baby?" She says something but he can't understand her through the sobs. "What's wrong? Come on, look at me." She does, revealing a face covered in tears and mascara.

"Your...your whole f-f-family _hates_ me!" She says.

He can't keep from smiling at this. She really did care. He kisses her head. "Awww, that's not true! Come here. Come out of here and sit on the bed with me."

She lets him help her up and lead her into the bedroom, where he snuggles with her on the bed. She cries into his chest as he rubs her back and whispers to her. "Shh, it's okay Jade. It's okay." Finally her hysterical sobs start to fade into tears.

"Why do you think they hate you?"

"Did you see the dirty look your grandma gave me when I said I wasn't going to c-college?"

"She just...thinks you should, like any responsible adult would."

"And they didn't trust me enough to boil freaking water. They ordered a pizza!"

"Baby, it's okay. They're not stuck up. They don't care if they have a fancy dinner or not."

"They think I'm a terrible mother for not wanting to stay home with Sophia. They probably think I abuse her or something!"

"That's ridiculous."

"And her fiance was laughing at me! Even Julia was against me!"

He wipes her tears with his thumb. "Jade, they were just joking."

"No they weren't!"

He smiles at his adorable, unpredictable girlfriend plants kisses all over her head. "I love you baby. It's okay. My family really likes you. Trust me."

She sniffs and rubs her eyes. "I'm sorry I'm being so weird and crying like this. It's just...I got my period, and I'm so tired and stressed out from school, and I have these excruciating cramps..."

"Why didn't you take something?"

"We're out of Midol," She says.

"You want a heating pad?"

"No! Then your family will see and they'll know I have cramps!"

"It's okay. You don't have to tell them what they're from."

"Half of them are girls, Beck. They'll know."

"Why are you suddenly so concerned about what they think of you? You never care what anyone thinks of you."

"But this is different. If they hate me, then I'll have to deal with their hate forever. They're your family. I can't get out of being around them. And then you'll get hate too for dating me, and it'll just be a big hateful ugly mess."

"You love hateful ugly messes." He jokes, nudging her.

"Not when I'm in the middle of it all."

He pulls her closer and holds for a minute, and they're perfectly content to just sit there.

"You ready to go back out there? The pizza will probably be here soon."

"I guess. Let me redo my makeup."

"Okay. And Jade?"

"What?"

"I really love you."

* * *

><p><strong>So that's it! Ugh...I wasn't really happy with this one. Next chapter will be Thanksgiving, so you will see Beck's family AND Jade's family. Please leave a review! They make me write faster. Thank you! :)<strong>


	16. Brothers, Beards, and Bathtime

**Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait on this chapter. Things have been so crazy. I was away for a family reunion, then I came back and scrapped what I had written of the chapter cuz I hated it. Don't Slip Up was taking up a lot of time and has a whole different dynamic than this story, so it's hard to write both, and then I went to Poland for two weeks and was in a foreign hospital for three days. Long story. But the trip was pretty amazing and I'm glad to be home. **

**Anywhooo, I know I said this chapter was supposed to be about Thanksgiving. So, I wrote like half of the chapter about Thanksgiving, like I said I would, then realized I was terribly bored with it. I just wasn't sure what to do. Plus, I already wrote a story about Beck and Jade at Thanksgiving, and after that I have no Thanksgiving ideas left. So...we're skipping ahead to Christmas time. Anyways...enjoy! Sorry for the long wait.**

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><p>"Are you ready for you first Christmas? Three more weeks!" Beck zips up Sophia's green sweatshirt and clips a little red bow in her hair to give her holiday colors. "You're gonna get lots of presents. From mommy and me, from Grandma and Grandpa, and maybe even Santa. Santa is an old man with a long beard who delivers gifts to good girls and boys, and he rides in a sleigh pulled by-"<p>

"Beck, are you ready yet?!" Jade yells from the kitchen. He rolls his eyes and picks up Sophia. "Coming!"

He finds her leaning against the kitchen counter, leather jacket and sunglasses on, purse swung over her shoulder. "Finally. I didn't know it took fifteen minutes to dress a baby."

"We were talking," He says. As soon as he starts putting Sophia in her car seat she begins to fuss.

"Oh hush." Jade snaps. "It's only for a ten minute car ride, cry baby."

"Someone's not in the Christmas spirit, now are they?"

She just shrugs and rolls her eyes. "Lets go."

"Did you pack the diaper bag?"

"Yeah. I have a bottle, formula, baby food, diapers, wipes, and a change of clothes."

"How about a bib and a baby spoon?"

"Oh, right." She digs through one of the kitchen drawers.

"And a toy. And a pacifier."

"So this is why we never go out. It takes an hour to pack for a trip to the mall. And can you please shut the baby up?"

Beck hands Sophia a rattle and she looks at it, wondering if it's worth it to stop crying and play with it. When they're finally ready to leave, Jade's mom and brother appear at the door.

"Ugh, mom, who let you in?"

"Jade," Beck warns.

Her mother sighs, used to this by now. "Julia did, and told me to come back here. I need to ask you a favor." Jade groans. "My boss just called me and said there's a problem at the office. They need me to come in for a conference."

"On a Saturday?"

"Yes. I called Noah's nanny but she's sick, so I was hoping-"

"No. Absolutely not. We're going Christmas shopping."

"Can't he come with you? He'll be a good boy!" Noah nods, looking at Jade with big eyes.

"Sure, he can come," Beck says before Jade can open her mouth.

"I can?" Noah asks, perking up immediately. "Sure, buddy."

"Thanks so much Beck," Mae says. Jade groans. She's always liked Beck better than her own daughter, and now Jade knows why. "Alright, I'll call you when the conference is over. I'm hoping it won't go passed seven tonight..."

"Seven?! I thought this was just for a couple hours!"

"It's hard to tell. These conferences can be pretty long. Don't worry, I'll pay you guys back for his lunch and dinner. Noah, be a good boy for your sister. Have fun!" She ruffles her son's hair and hurries away.

"Can I hold Sophie?"

"Sophia. And no. She's in her car seat and we just got her to settle down. Come on, get in the car, we're leaving."

"Where are we going?"

"The mall. We need to get some Christmas decorations and presents and stuff."

"I love Christmas shopping."

"Good for you," Jade says flatly before walking out the door. Beck squeezes Noah's shoulder and tells him she's just grumpy today. "It's okay," The nine year old says, following him out to the car. "I'm used to it. Once when I was five and she was thirteen I went into her room with asking so she locked me in a closet for two hours."

"Two _hours_? You poor thing."

"It wasn't that bad. I had some toys in there that I played with, and when my mom got home and found out she took off the door to Jade's room for a whole month because privacy is a privilege."

Beck chuckles and wonders if Sophia will ever do anything similar. After all, she already seems to have Jade's fiery temper and selfish attitude. Beck winces at the thought and wonders how he'll manage Sophia when she's a teenager.

"Come on! Get your seat belt on, Noah! Beck, get in the car!"

"I'm coming! Noah was just telling me what you did to him when he was little."

"What, the snake in his bed?" She says as Beck starts the car.

"Huh? No. Wait...you put a _snake_ in his _bed_?"

"Uh, never mind."

/-/-/-/

Ah, last minute Christmas shopping. The corny music playing over and over again, the kids waiting to see Santa Claus, the long lines, expensive prices, and rushing, crabby people. Beck seems to enjoy it. Jade doesn't. She remembers when she was a kid of eight or nine, her brother a baby. Her mother would haul her around from store to store for hours, making her pick out gifts for her father and all the other relatives she never saw. Jade shudders at the memory. Christmas shopping is just not her thing.

"Where are we going first?" Noah says, practically bouncing up and down. He runs ahead of them and nearly knocks over a small child.

"Noah Ethan West! Get back here!" Jade yells, causing a dozen heads to turn in their direction.

"Sorry," he says sheepishly. "I'm just excited!"

Beck ruffles his hair with a smile. "That's okay. I think we'll go to Macy's and look for a present for my mom first. And your mom, maybe."

"Aw, a girl store?"

"It has stuff for boys too."

"We should go to a soccer store."

"No, Noah!" Jade snaps. "Keep your mouth shut or you're gonna sit in the car!" Beck rolls his eyes. "Why don't you take Sophia and go get yourself some coffee, Jade? Noah and I will go look for a present for my mom."

"Fine." With a quick snap of her head she turns on her heels, grabs the car seat from Beck, and stomps off in the other direction. "Meet me by the ice cream store in a half an hour!" He calls out to her. She answers him with an irritated wave of her hand and keeps walking.

If she's this grumpy just shopping for Christmas, what will she be like on the actually holiday? Beck doesn't want to think about it.

/-/-/-/

After forty minutes of shopping, Beck managed to get a cake decorating kit for his mom, new fishing gear for his dad, fancy wine glasses for Genevieve and Andrew, and some classical music CD's for his grandparents. What had Jade gotten? Shoes. For _herself_.

"Don't you think you should shop for your family now?"

"Who? The only one I have to shop for is my mom. I'm not getting my dad something cuz he never gets me anything, and Noah is here with us."

"What about your grandparents? Cousins?"

"I usually just get them each a box of chocolates. You know, if I get them anything."

"Can we go see Santa Claus?" Noah interrupts eagerly.

"Aren't you a little old for Santa?"

"Well...I...I don't _believe_ in Santa, but sometimes its fun to pretend!"

"That's okay, buddy. I believe in Santa." Beck offers. Jade groans and rolls her eyes as Noah perks up. "So we can go see him?"

"Sure."

When they finally get to Santa, they're greeted by a long line of parents waiting with their kids. A sign at the end of the line reads _"Estimated wait time: 30 minutes."_ Jade groans and starts to turn around. "There is no way this is happening."

"Come on Jade! This is Sophia's first Christmas. She has to see Santa."

"This is the most ridiculous thing in the world. Shes a baby. Babies don't even like old men with beards. And I certainly don't want ours growing up learning that it's perfectly ok to let a strange man break into your house at night and leave you _gifts_."

Beck simply guides them into the line, and just like that they're stuck in a maze of crying kids, stressed out parents, and people dressed as elves. Noah and Sophia are both fascinated by the experience and Beck is content to hum along to the Christmas carols that are playing in the background. Jade just stands there mumbling "Kill me now. Please do it now." After 36 minutes, (Yes, Jade was counting,) they reach the front of the line. Noah scoops up Sophia and eagerly takes her over to Santa while Beck gets his phone ready for pictures. Jade watches in disgust as Santa puts the kids on his lap and gives an enthusiastic "Ho Ho Ho!" Sophia stares up at the strange man with big eyes, but doesn't cry.

"What would _you_ like for Christmas young man?"

Noah states intently as if it's the most important question he'll ever answer. "Well, I'd really like a new bike. I learned how to ride a two wheeler last year, but mine is too small for me. I'm almost ten, you know." Jade rolls her eyes. Almost ten is too old to be believing in Santa.

As Santa promises Noah his new bike, Sophia looks up at him, dazed. Beck takes one last picture and goes to collect his daughter, when she suddenly reaches up and grabs the mans white beard. At four months old she doesn't have much strength, but somehow the pull is enough to slide the beard halfway off. Suddenly kids begin to cry, parents begin to yell, and the embarrassed Santa Claus struggles to get his beard back in place.

Everyone looks at the innocent baby on Santa's lap, fully expecting her to start sobbing at the hectic scene unfolding around her. Instead, she burst out giggling so loud the whole crowd quiets down and watches her, some even taking pictures on their phones. Beck quickly picks her up and apologizes to the poor man playing Santa Claus. Noah quickly follows behind and they walk as far away from Santa as possible.

"Now _that_ lifted my mood," Jade says, taking Sophia from Beck. "You're not too bad, Sophia." She gives her a kiss on the cheek and Sophia continues to giggle.

"I just...I just can't believe the mall would hire a _fake _Santa Claus!"

"Noah, you don't think the real one can be at every mall in the world, do you?"

"Well...Santa is magic. He can do anything!"

"Kid, you're in fourth grade. Grow up. There is no such thing as Santa Claus. That's just something parents make up to get their kids to behave. And it never works anyways. Reindeer can't fly, elves don't exist, and a man as fat as Santa could _never_ fit down a chimney. Got it?"

Noah's lip quivers for a minute but he quickly stops himself for crying. "I get it, Jade. I didn't really believe in him, okay? It was just kinda fun to tell him what I wanted for Christmas and put cookies out every year." Noah kicks at the ground and Beck squeezes his shoulder. "Buddy, it's alright. Every kid likes to believe Santa is real."

He sniffles. "Yeah, I guess. Can we go home now and decorate your apartment?"

"Sure."

Jade sighs. "And, my good mood is gone."

"Well, it was nice while it lasted."

/-/-/-/

_Have a holly, jolly Christmas;  
>It's the best time of the year<br>I don't know if there'll be snow,  
>but have a cup of cheer...<em>

It's seven thirty and Jade's mother still hasn't gotten out of her meeting. There are boxes all over the place spilling out ornaments, lights, and garland. Beck is standing on a chair, putting the star on top of their Christmas tree, while Noah finishes hanging ornaments on the branches. Sophia is in her swing and Jade is sitting on the couch, bored and annoyed with the whole process.

Beck finally climbs down and grabs some lights from one of the boxes. "I thought we could hang these around the door way. Jade, can you give us a hand?"

"Uh...I'd rather not."

Before Beck can argue with her, Sophia starts to fuss, giving her the perfect excuse.

"I'm gonna give Sophia a bath and put her to bed." She quickly unstraps her from the baby swing and carries her into the other room, praying that she'll behave during bath time. Some days she loves it, other days she screams the whole time. Jade fills the tub with warm water and lays Sophia in the baby bath seat. She starts to whimper but when Jade gives her a pacifier she quickly quiets down. She lets out a sigh of relief.

"The only good part of Christmas shopping today was watching you pull the beard off Santa. Don't you agree?"

Sophia slaps her hand down in the water, splashing Jade. "Ugh! You little brat!"

At Jade's sharp tone, the baby drops her pacifier and sticks out her lip, starting to cry. Jade sighs and strokes the infant's hair. "Hush. I didn't mean it. Shh. It's okay." She starts shampooing her hair and the baby begins to settle down.

"I know I was a grouch today," She says, carefully pouring water over the baby's head. "I just can't stand shopping, and cheesy Christmas stuff. You'll forgive me, right?"

"Goo!"

Jade grins. "Thank you."

When she's done scrubbing the baby from head to toe, getting off all the mall germs, she scoops her up and wraps her in a yellow towel. Sophia yawns and snuggles close to Jade, who kisses her head. She brings her into the bedroom and lays her on the changing table so she can put her pajamas on.

"You're going to get so many presents for Christmas," she says while the baby kicks and moves her arms. "Like, so many. It'll be ridiculous. But I guess with Julia as your grandma you'll have to get used to it." She tickles the baby's tummy before buttoning up her pink footie pajamas. "Lets get you a bottle."

"Can I feed her?" Jade notices that Noah has walked into the room, eagerly staring at Sophia.

"No, I'm gonna feed her tonight." Normally Jade would jump at the chance to have extra help, but Noah's only nine and she just wants to get this done fast so she can put Sophia to bed. Plus, with Julia taking care of Sophia during the days, sometimes Jade wishes she had more time to spend with her daughter. She has a secret fear that she'll miss Sophia's first words or first steps while she's at school.

She sees her brother's hurt expression and quickly adds "You can make the bottle. See if Beck will help you."

He grins and runs off to complete the task, soon returning with a warm bottle. "Thanks, Noah."

"Your welcome. Mom's coming to pick me up in ten minutes, so I can I kiss Sophia goodbye?"

"Sure." Noah leans over and kisses the baby on the head, then goes to finish helping Beck. Jade sits down in the rocking chair, takes the pacifier, and gives Sophia the bottle. She lays against her mama and closes her eyes while she drinks it. "I love you," She whispers as the baby falls asleep. "I really do."

/-/-/-/

"Bye, Jadey."

"See ya Noah."

He throws his arms around Jade and holds her tightly. "I miss you. I wish you still lived with us."

Jade bends down and ruffles the little boy's hair. "I know. I should visit you more. I've just been busy, but I'll try. Maybe I'll come to the family dinner on Christmas."

"We're not doing it this year."

"You're not? What are you doing?"

"Nothing. Just staying home."

"Oh."

"Hey," Beck butts in. "My mom's having Christmas dinner at her place. You and your mom can come."

"We _can_? Will Sophia be there?"

"Of course."

"Beck, are you sure? Maybe you should talk to your parents before you just invite us."

"Oh, my mom will be fine with it. She'd love to meet you."

"And your dad?"

"Uh, I don't know if he'll come. He moved out a few weeks ago."

"Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't know."

Jade cringes. Beck still doesn't like talking about his parents divorce.

"But, anyways, you should come," He quickly changes the subject. "There'll be lots of food and lots of people. It starts at five."

"We'll think about it," She says, guiding Noah towards the door. "Thanks again for watching Noah."

"Bye Beck! Bye Jadey! Tell Sophia I said bye when she wakes up!"

Jade waves and shuts the door. The Wests and the Olivers together for Christmas? What an interesting holiday this will be.

* * *

><p><strong>School and musical rehearsals start this week, so I'm gonna be super busy, but I promise I will try to update quickly!<strong>


	17. Christmas With the Olivers

**Hey guys! I'm so sorry for the late update. I'm in a musical and I'm rehearsing three hours every day, so between that and homework I haven't had too much extra time. But I went to the Adirondacks and had a lot of spare time so I got a good chunk of writing done. In fact, I'm almost done with the next chapter too. **

**I just want to apologize to all of you who read Don't Slip Up. I know it's been forever since we updated it. Kara is almost done with the next chapter, but she is being incredibly lazy and slow with it. If it was up to me that chapter would have been done weeks ago. So if you want to read it, go bug Kara to hurry up. **

**Also, I now have a twitter account for my fanfictions, specifically the ones I write with Kara. (Yes, there will be a new one.) It's going to have updates, Q&As, and exclusive sneak peeks of future chapters. (I will be tweeting some sneak peeks of the next chapter of this story today or tomorrow.) If you want access to all that good stuff, follow the account at kemmafanfiction. Thank you!**

**What I think Sophia looks like (delete the spaces): www. nicolecassano blog/4-month-old-beauty-baby-photographer/ If this link does not work I will post it on the fanfiction twitter (kemmafanfiction) as well. :)**

**Warning you, this chapter is pretty long. Hope you enjoy it! Sorry for the long note. **

* * *

><p>It's Christmas eve and the apartment smells like pizza, cookies, and perfume. Sophia is in her swing, wearing only a diaper and sucking on a pacifier. Beck, dressed in a suit and purple tie, is scrambling to wrap presents, and Jade has been getting ready for forty five minutes.<p>

She finally comes out, wearing five inch heels and a short, tight black dress. "How do I look?" She says confidently, flipping a strand of curled black hair over her shoulder.

"Wow," Beck says, leaving the present he's wrapping to kiss her cheek. "You look...amazing."

She grins and twirls a little, showing off her dress. "I know I do."

He bites his lip. She does look amazing...but not for a Christmas Eve church service with his whole family. How can he tell her that, though? He takes a deep breath. "Um...but...maybe you should change your dress."

She arches an eyebrow and stares at him dangerously. He swallows hard and quickly continues. "It's great, but maybe it's better for a party or something. It's just that...I can see a lot of...boob."

"So? I thought you _liked_ my boobs!" She stomps a heel on the hardwood floor, causing Sophia to turn her head in surprise.

"Well, yeah, I do. That doesn't mean I want everyone else to see them."

Her eyes widen and he cringes. That came out wrong. He quickly puts a hand on her shoulder, trying to keep this from escalating and further. "Babe, we're going to a traditional church with some very conservative people. I just don't want you to be embarrassed if you're the only one wearing a dress like that."

"Well, fine then. I'll change," She snaps, her eyes staring right through him. She angrily kicks off her high heels and stomps back into the bedroom. He groans. The service starts in thirty minutes, they haven't eaten dinner, and Sophia isn't even dressed. Not to mention his girlfriend is pouting in the bedroom and probably will be in a sour mood all night.

Thankfully, Julia comes in, wearing a red dress, her hair in a side braid. "Oh, honey. Why isn't Sophia in her outfit?"

"Uh, it's been kinda crazy here. Sorry, we're coming as fast as we can. Maybe we should just take separate cars."

"No, don't be silly. I'll take care of Sophia, you just get yourself ready." She quickly unbuckles the baby and Sophia is content to be in her grandma's arms. Beck breathes a sigh of relief as Julia leaves with the infant and quickly goes to find Jade. She's now wearing a blue lace dress with long sleeves. She shoots him a glare and turns towards the dresser to put on a silver bracelet.

"Babe..."

He comes up behind her and wraps his arms around her, but she just tenses up and tries to pull away. "Please. Let me talk to you."

"I have to get Sophia dressed."

"My mom has her," he mumbles, kissing her ear. She elbows him in the stomach and he's forced to let go of her. She sits down and starts putting her heels back on. He plops down next to her and she gets back up, looking in the mirror. He sighs and starts massaging her shoulders which, thankfully, she doesn't reject. After she's satisfied with her hair though, she turns to leave, so he quickly grips her shoulders and turns her towards him.

"Will you at least tell me why you're so mad at me?"

She purses her lips. "Oh please, Beck. Like any other girl wouldn't be mad when her boyfriend tells her she looks like a slut going to the club and needs to change."

"A slut...going...what? Jade, I never said that. I just said that that dress-"

"I know, I know. Wouldn't be appropriate for church. Can you leave me alone now so I can eat dinner?"

"The pizza is still in the oven. And no. I need to talk to you."

"We talked!" She starts to leave but he pulls her back once again and sits down with her on the bed, pressing his forehead to hers. "Jade, I'm sorry I hurt your feelings."

"You _didn't_. You were just being a douche bag."

"Babe, I know Christmas isn't your thing, and I know church probably isn't your thing either..."

"You got that right."

He smiles and twirls a piece of her hair around in his fingers. "But this night is really important to my mom. A lot of my family will be there, and she's been wanting to show off her granddaughter to her church friends."

"Yeah. Her granddaughter that has unmarried teenage parents. I'm sure her church friends will love that."

He plants a soft kiss on her cheek. "Jade, no one will think any less of Sophia because she has teenage parents. They're not going to kick us out or something. Don't worry about it."

"I'm _not_ worried," she growls.

"Okay, okay. Just try to have fun and be nice, okay? This is a big tradition for us and I know it's not your favorite thing but the service is only an hour or two long. Alright?"

She shrugs and rolls her eyes, finally muttering an "Alright."

"Love you."

"I guess you're not bad either." With that she punches his arm and skips off to get her pizza.

/-/-/-/

Jade holds a very sleepy Sophia tightly to her chest as people swarm around her, wanting to get a look at Julia's first grandchild. One bold old lady even folds back the white knit blanket to get a better look at her face. "Ah, she truly is a cutie pie. Little Sophia Oliver." The lady, who must be at least ninety, pats Jade on the shoulder before leaving. A younger woman with three boys hanging onto her legs tells Jade about the Tuesday morning mothers group they have, and Jade replies, as politely as physically possible, that she goes to school on Tuesdays like a normal teenager.

The service was longer than expected, but Sophia was quiet through most of it. Now, however, she's getting antsy. Although numerous people invite them to stay for the cookie reception, Beck and Jade politely decline.

"We'll see you tomorrow," Beck says, giving his sister a kiss on the cheek. Before anyone else can stop them to see the new baby, he quickly takes Jade's hand and sneaks them out the door. Outside, the air is crisp and cool and the stars are out. Jade hands Sophia to Beck and he buckles the yawning baby into her car seat.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" He asks Jade once they're in the car, rubbing her thigh.

"It was boring."

"I know, but it wasn't torture, right?"

"Torture would have been more fun than that. Do we have to do this every year?"

He smiles, tickling her ribs. "It's a family tradition, babe." The fact that she's already thinking about their future Christmases together makes him happy. Sophia will be over a year old next Christmas. She'll probably be walking and saying a few words. He pushes the thought out of his mind and focuses on the road.

"So, tomorrow we'll just open presents as a family, and then we'll go to my moms and hang out with her and Genevieve and Andrew."

"Yeah, and then the big Christmas dinner. You've told me a thousand times."

"Is your mom coming?"

"I think so," Jade says with a groan. She'll have to introduce them to Beck's family. It'll be a big pain.

"It'll be fun," Beck says as if he's reading her mind. "I bet it'll be almost as fun as the church service!"

"Kill me with a sledge hammer."

/-/-/-/

"Say 'Merry Christmas Mama!'"

"Ah ba ba ah oh!"

"Say mama!"

"Ga kaka!"

"You're chatty this morning, aren't you?"

This is what Jade wakes up to, a loud conversation between her boyfriend and daughter happening right on her bed. Beck is sitting there gently bouncing Sophia on his lap, intentionally wanting her chatter to wake up Jade.

"It's eight in the morning! Let me sleep!"

"Jade, it's _Christmas_." He hands Sophia to her and she takes her with a yawn, letting the infant lay on her chest. Beck has dressed her in a red onesie that says "It's my very first Christmas!" and put a green headband with a bow on her head. "Beck, in a few years Sophia will be waking us up at six to open her presents. Right now she's a baby and she doesn't understand, so lets take advantage of that."

"Come on babe. It's her first Christmas ever. I'm sure my mom and everyone else is already up, waiting for us."

"Ugh. Fine! Just let me get dressed."

"Throw a hoodie on. You're not supposed to get dressed to open presents."

She groans and passes the baby to him so she can slip into a grey sweatshirt. Sure enough, everyone else is already up. Frosty the Snowman is playing loudly and there's tons of breakfast food on the table. Jade has no idea how Julia does it. Fresh fruit, cinnamon buns, scrambled eggs, orange juice, coffee, and ham. She must have been up since five thirty.

"Merry Christmas bug a boo!" She says, taking Sophia from Beck. The infant kicks her legs and giggles, staring at her grandma intently. "Good morning guys! Go ahead and take all the food you want!" Jade accepts that offer without hesitation, piling her plate until there's literally no room left. She has to take into the living room though, because Julia gives them no time to eat it. She's ushering everyone towards the couches, telling them it's time for presents. Genevieve takes Sophia, which Jade doesn't mind, because she'll be able to eat without worrying about the baby.

Jade has honestly never seen so many presents in her life. And there's this huge, oddly shaped one with Sophia's name on it. She can only imagine what that will be.

To her dismay, the whole family takes forever to carefully open their presents. Andrew opens up the wine classes Beck got for him and Genevieve, and Julia is thrilled with the cake decorating set. Beck unwraps several new shirts and hoodies from his mom, and Genevieve and Andrew give him a new phone. That's when Jade decides they're rich. They get Jade a $50 gift certificate to anywhere in the mall and a box of fancy chocolates. Sophia gets a huge pile off clothes, toys, and books.

"Jade, this is for you," Julia says with a warm smile after nearly all the presents have been opened. Jade takes the brightly wrapped box, offering her half a grin. Beck swallows nervously, praying that she doesn't make any rude remarks about the present Julia got her. His mom is usually great at giving presents, but Jade is incredibly hard to shop for. He mentally crosses his fingers as Jade unwraps the package slowly. Inside is a box, taped closed carefully. It feels like it takes Jade ten minutes just to get the tape off, and when she does, she stays silent. Beck holds his breath.

"Whoa." She folds back the tissue paper carefully. "Where did you find these?" Julia smiles sheepishly as Jade pulls a tall, dark brown combat boot out of the box. It has laces going all the way up and a small heel. "How did you know I wanted these? Did Beck tell you?" Beck shakes his head. He didn't even know she wanted them, to be honest.

"I just saw them in the mall and immediately thought of you." Jade inspects the boots, stunned. "Well...thanks. Really, they're great." She means it too. She can't remember the last time anyone besides Beck got her a present she actually liked.

"You're welcome, sweetheart."

Beck squeezes Jade's shoulder. "Alright, I think we're gonna go back to our apartment and have our own little present time. If you don't mind, that is."

"Of course not. But there's one more thing." She gets up an drags the huge present out from behind the tree."Sophia, this one's for you sweetie." Jade bites her lip, wondering how they'll even fit it in their living room. "Okay," Beck says, kneeling down to open the present. "What's this, Sophia?" Jade coos. Sophia looks with big eyes at the present. When Beck finally gets all the paper off, they see a pink and green baby activity center. There's a seat in the middle for Sophia and a bunch of little toys surrounding it. "Oh, it's adorable!" Genevieve squeals. Beck picks up Sophia and shows her one of the little toys, a monkey that moves up and down when you pull it's cord. She giggles and bats at the toy. "Sit her in it," Julia says. Beck carefully puts the young baby in the seat. For a minute she looks like she's going to cry, but when Beck pulls the monkey down again she stops and starts to laugh.

Jade can't keep herself from laughing happily at her daughter. She's not sure if she should tell Beck this, but those boots Julia got her were nearly two hundred dollars. And the baby activity seat was probably almost a hundred. She can't help thinking that without Julia, Sophia would never have this nice stuff. And that's when she realizes how lucky they are to have Julia.

/-/-/-/

"Alright," Jade says matter of factly when they're back in their own little home.

"Alright what?"

"Give me my present!"

"No!"

"No?"

"You always open yours first. Maybe I want mine first this year."

She groans. "Oh fine," she finally says, handing him a little box.

"Thank you," he says with a playful grin. Inside the box is a ring. A man ring, as he calls them. It's design is simple and plain, made out of metal that looks like stainless steel. "Whoa, thanks," he says, trying to hide his confusion. Jade rolls her eyes. "Turn it over, idiot."

He does, and finds a little engraving in the inside of the ring. "143."

"That was the number on the rv."

"Yeah. And it means I love you. Just putting that out there."

"Jade...this is so sweet."

"Don't get used to it," she snaps, but she's blushing as he slides on the ring. "It's made out of the RV. The last time I broke your door a little of the metal scraped off...I hid it so you wouldn't notice. But then when you sold the RV you seemed so sad...so I found this jewelry maker guy who made the little scrap of metal into a ring and...yeah. It's just a little piece of your old life, I guess. And a promise from me to stay with you for this new part of your life. "

Beck is beaming, he can't help it. This is one of the most adorable things Jade has ever done for him.

"Babe, I love it. I'm never taking it off."

"Seriously, don't get used to it. I don't even know what I was thinking when I ordered it for you. I still had some pregnancy hormones left in me."

He chuckles, kissing her temple. "I love it. Really, it's the sweetest thing you've ever given me."

She blushes and is tempted to continue with the romantic talk, but she quickly moves on. "And my present?"

"Here," he says with a smile. He hands her a small box wrapped in sleek black paper, a little red ribbon on top. Jewelry, Jade thinks as she starts to open it. Beck watches nervously, bouncing a content Sophia on his lap. When Jade opens the little black box, she fully expects to see a ring or necklace. Instead, it's a piece of folded paper. She gives him a puzzled look and carefully unfolds it.

_Your reservation has been confirmed for the Jefferson Inn in Times Square. Your check in date is Friday January 20th and your check out date is Sunday January 22nd. We hope you enjoy your stay!_

At first Jade can only stare blankly. "New York?" Beck nods. "With a five month old. You're crazy."

"No. Just the two of us."

She reads the paper again as if she missed something. "Just you and me?"

"Just you and me. My mom already agreed to watch Sophia."

"I don't know..."

"Jade, ever since you had Sophia we haven't spent any time alone. You've been working so hard with school, and the baby, and you've even been getting along with my family. I really want to do this for you. For us."

She bites her lip. "Should we really leave Sophia?"

"Its only two nights. And you know how much she loves my mom."

"Well..."

"Yes or no? Say yes, cuz it's not a free cancelation."

Jade smiles and wraps her arms around his neck. "Oh, fine. Yes. Lets do it."

He kisses her cheek. "We're going on vacation!"

"I guess we are."

"Merry Christmas, babe."

She lays her head on his shoulder.

"Merry Christmas."

Too bad it's not over yet.

/-/-/-/

Jade had no idea Beck had so many relatives. Every aunt, uncle, grandparent, and cousin is here, and they all want to hold Sophia. At first Jade doesn't mind. It gives her a chance to mingle and introduce Noah and her mom to Beck's family. It doesn't last very long though. After a half an hour of getting passed from person to person, Sophia starts to get cranky.

"Maybe we should just feed her," Beck suggests. They're pacing back and forth in the kitchen, trying everything to get the crying to stop.

"I wanted to feed her when everyone else is eating."

"I know, but I think she's hungry now."

She shoots him a look and even though he's not sure what he's done wrong, he quickly prepares the baby food himself to avoid annoying Jade any more.

"Want some yummy applesauce?" She makes a funny face at every bite but eats half of it.

"Okay," Beck says cheerfully. "Are you happy now?" He's answered with a loud cry. "Maybe we should just give you a bottle and put you to bed."

"It's only six!"

"Shes had a long day. Lots of new toys to play with."

"Fine, fine. I'll give her a bottle and rock her in the guest room."

Julia keeps her play pen in there. It's where she naps when Julia is watching her. Beck kisses Jade to thank her and goes back into the busy living room to talk to his curious relatives.

"Is the baby alright?" His great aunt Ruth asks. "She's fine, shes just teething and really-" Beck doesn't finish his sentence because he sees another guest walking in with a red gift bag. His father.

What is he doing here? Sure, he was here every year before, but now they were divorced. Didn't he know how awkward this would be? Before Beck could approach the man, Julia walks over to him. She welcomes him with a pleasant smile and he hands her the gift bag. When she goes back to the kitchen to get something, Beck follows.

"Mom! Why do you invite dad?" He snaps at her.

She sighs and puts a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Honey, these are his family members too."

"So?"

"He got you something." She pulls a red envelope out of the gift bag and he opens it. A check for one hundred dollars.

"Oh, so he thinks he can give me some money and everything will be fine?" He'd never given him money before. He even charged him rent for living in the apartment.

"Its a generous gift Beck. Look, I didn't even think he'd come. But he obviously doesn't want to be secluded from family events just because-"

"He's not part of the family anymore!"

"Beck Michael. He is your father."

Beck shakes his head and storms off into the guest bedroom.

"Can you believe this?" He yells. Jade whirls around and glares at him as Sophia bursts into tears. "She was falling asleep!"

He rolls his eyes and takes his daughter. "My dads here."

"Um, okay?"

"Jade!"

"What?"

"How can you not think this is a big deal?"

She shrugs and takes Sophia back. "I never knew you hated your dad."

"I don't hate him. I'm just mad at him."

"For what? Divorcing your mom? It takes two to fight you know."

"Wouldn't you be mad too?" Beck pauses, realizing that Jade had gone through the same thing nine years ago.

"I was mad. But not at my dad leaving. Just the fact that he stopped talking to me." She swallows hard and strokes Sophia's hair gently. "But your dad obviously still wants to talk to you. So stop being such a baby about it." She lays her sleepy daughter in the playpen with her pacifier and leaves the room. Beck follows angrily.

"I'm being a baby? You don't think I have a right to be mad about this?"

She roles her eyes and whirls around. "Remember when you and your dad went on fishing trips every month? And ever since Sophia was born you've been avoiding him. It's like you're afraid he's disappointed in you so you don't want to face him."

"That's ridiculous, Jade."

_Beck holds Jades hand tightly. She's practically clawing into him. At four months pregnant, she's wearing a bulky sweatshirt to hide her growing baby bump. Beck's parents are the first people they're telling besides Tori and Andre. Actually, they didn't tell Tori, she just figured it out herself. But other than that, they've been doing a pretty good job keeping it to themselves. They know it won't last long though. Jade's starting to show, and she can't keep wearing bulky clothes forever._

_Beck takes a deep breath and gives his girlfriend's hand a squeeze._

_"Mom, dad...we wanted to talk to you about something."_

_He can see them getting nervous._

_"Jade and I...well, we're having a baby."_

_His parents let out a tiny gasp in unison. After a minute or two, his mom is the first to speak._

_"Beck...how did this happen? You said you were being careful!"_

_"I know. And we were. Jade was on birth control...but..."_

_"I missed a couple pills," she cuts in quickly._

_Julia shakes her head, tears filling her eyes. "What are you guys going to do? When are you having it?"_

_"The due date is August 7th. We're just going to do the best we can, I guess."_

_She nods, wiping away a tear. His father stays silent. Then, without one word, he gets up and walks up the stairs. Beck feels his heart sinking._

Did the baby cause his relationship with his dad to change? No, Beck could never blame Sophia for anything. It was his own fault. And his dads fault too. Beck shakes his head and goes back into the kitchen, where his dad is conveniently sitting. "Beck."

"Uh, hi dad."

"Hey."

Beck plops down at the kitchen table next to him. "Thanks for the money."

"No problem. Where's your daughter?"

"Sleeping."

"Oh. I was hoping I'd see her. It's been almost a month."

"Yeah."

"Look...I'm sorry. I've just been so busy settling into the new apartment. And with work and stuff. I miss you. You never replied to my emails."

"It's been busy here too."

"Maybe we can go fishing next weekend?"

"Maybe. If I don't have work."

"I'd like that." He smiles and hands Beck a package wrapped in red tissue paper. "It's for Sophia," he says.

Beck takes it, unwrapping a purple t-shirt that says "Catch of the Day" and has a picture of a smiling pink fish. He laughs. "Thanks, dad. Maybe she can come with us sometime."

"I'd love that. I really miss her."

On cue, Sophia starts to cry. Beck jumps up to get her and surprisingly, his dad follows. After Beck gets her out of the playpen and calms her down, he nervously he hands her to his dad. "Go see Grandpa," he says, hoping she won't cry. Instead she's content to play with the buttons on his shirt. Mike smiles.

"Can you say 'Grandpa'?"

"Baba!

"Grandpa?"

"Tata!"

"I guess not. Grandpa?"

"Ah...Dada!"

Beck freezes. "Did she just say Dada?"

"Dada! Dada!"

Beck's face broke into a smile. "Say it again!"

"Who's that?" Mike says, pointing to Beck. "Dada!"

"Jade's gonna be mad. I'm recording it for proof," he says, pulling out his phone.

"Dada dada!"

Beck laughs and scoops up his baby. Sophia just said her first word. His girlfriend gave him the sweetest present ever, and they're going on vacation. Maybe having his dad here for Christmas wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry the chapter was all over the place. I had a lot of things to include. I really hated the ending though. Oh well. The next chapter will be about Beck and Jade's little get away together. It's just about finished so that will be updated soon. Remember to follow kemmafanfiction on twitter for sneak peeks! Thank you again and please leave a review. :)<strong>


	18. Author's Note

**Hey you guys! It has been forever. I cannot believe it's been over a year since I updated this story, or any of my fan fictions to be honest. First of all I would like apologize to everyone who has read and reviewed this story and was hoping for an update. I personally hate it when I get interested in a story and the author just stops writing, so I would like to say sorry to all of you. I really was planning on continuing, I had the next chapter written, but I really didn't like it and wasn't sure where I wanted to go with it, so it never was published. **

**Since last year I've been extremely busy, lots of new and exciting things are happening for me. I'm a junior now, and I love it. I've been in a serious relationship with the most amazing guy for almost a year. So yeah, it's been exciting. And ever since Victorious ended I guess I just stopped with twitter and fanfiction. I no longer use my twitter account. But today I went back and reread this story, just because, and it made me miss it. I had a lot of future plans for this story that never got done and I would like to do them eventually. **

**My question for you guys is, is victorious fanfiction still popular? I know things have been different since the show ended. If so, would anyone continue to read this story if I updated it? I can't make any promises, but I would like to know if there is still any interest in this story. Please leave me a review telling me whether or not I should update and leaving any suggestions for future chapters. **

**Also a big thank you for giving this story over 200 reviews and 24,000 views. I really appreciate it! **


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